A massive explosion at a Texas crude oil refinery shot up towering plumes of dark smoke and physically shook locals’ homes before they were ordered to shelter in place Monday.
A loud boom resounded throughout the western part of Port Arthur, Texas on Monday afternoon when part of a Valero refinery exploded, local outlets reported.
Clouds of black smoke spilled out of the refinery, sparking health concerns among residents and forcing city officials to put out a shelter-in-place order for the west end.
One resident at the scene told 12News that the entire area reeked of rotten eggs — a smell commonly associated with sulfur.
Others told the outlet that the explosion rattled their homes and vehicles.
Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens suggested that the explosion may be linked to a mishap with a heating unit at the refinery, the outlet reported.
Officials monitored the air quality in the area throughout the day as the smoke from the refinery blanketed the sky.
No injuries were reported as of Monday evening. A representative for the Valero Energy Corporation told The Post that all personnel at the refinery were accounted for.
The Valero Port Arthur Refinery sits near the Texas Gulf coast and along the Texas-Louisiana border. The facility employs roughly 770 workers and is responsible for producing upwards of 435,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel daily.
Locals who felt the tremors caused by the explosion were shocked that officials didn’t move to evacuate the city.
“Until it’s quiet, we have to evacuate,” one woman wrote on Facebook.
“I’m thinking those chemicals can reach more then just that area,” another woman from Groves, Texas, just six miles outside of Port Arthur, added.
“It’s still in the air all over not just the west,” one man noted.
An estimated 55,000 people live in Port Arthur.
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