A massive fire erupted at Dow Chemical’s plant in Freeport, Texas, on Monday afternoon following reports of an explosion.
The fire started at Plant B. Officials confirmed that the fire was contained to the facility block and that all employees had been accounted for, according to Dow Texas Operations, KHOU 11, a local Texas-based news outlet, reported.
The facility is situated on Brazosport Boulevard close to the Nolan Ryan Expressway. Nearby residents reported hearing an explosion.
Lt. Bryan Sidebottom informed KHOU 11 News that, at this time, there are no known shelter-in-place orders, and Dow has stated that no action is currently needed from the community.
‘There is nothing required of our community at this time’
As per a report by HT, the plant took to X and said, “Our community may see smoke or hear emergency vehicles responding. There is nothing required of our community at this time.”
Dow Chemical is a major global company focused on chemicals, plastics, and materials science, with operations in more than 160 countries. Its largest facility in the United States is located in Freeport and spans 7,000 acres.
Previous similar incidents
On October 6, an explosion and fire at the ONEOK plant in Mont Belvieu, Texas injured three workers, though their injuries were not life-threatening. Just a few days earlier, on October 2–3, a fire and explosion erupted at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, California, specifically in the jet fuel unit. While the incident caused dramatic flames and raised potential concerns about fuel supply and air quality, no injuries were reported.
In July, a fire at the Arkema chemical facility in Houston released smoke and a strong odor, prompting emergency responses but no injuries. Earlier in the year, a more serious incident reportedly occurred in Crosby, Texas, where a tank containing flammable chemicals caught fire at the KMCO chemical plant, resulting in the death of one worker and critical injuries to two others, along with a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents.