The Exxon Plant Near My House Caught Fire
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The Exxon plant here in Baton Rouge has caught fire. Even though officials say there wasn’t an explosion, several witnesses reported hearing one. I also heard what seemed like an explosion — I live just 5 miles away. Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte said that there was no explosion, but that’s a bit odd since, as just noted, I heard something and there have been multiple reports on both Twitter and Facebook by people who heard a loud explosion.
Volunteer fire team members are responding to a fire @ the Refinery. It was contained to the area where it occurred. Responders are still assessing the situation. We are monitoring air quality at the fence line. We apologize for any inconvenience and concern this may have caused.
— ExxonMobil Baton Rouge (@ExxonMobilBRA) February 12, 2020
“ExxonMobil volunteer fire team members have contained a fire at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery. There are no injuries. The fire was contained to the area where it occurred,” said Jeremy Eikenberry, who is a spokesperson for ExxonMobil, to Newsweek.
“ExxonMobil is actively monitoring the facility fence line and surrounding areas of the North Baton Rouge community. Currently, all readings are non-detect. We will continue to conduct air monitoring as a precaution. We apologize for any inconvenience and concern this incident may have caused. We will continue to keep you updated with information as it becomes available. The safety of our workforce and community is ExxonMobil’s highest priority.”
https://twitter.com/consideritnow/status/1227510694360354817
Did I mention that this is around 5 miles from my apartment? In a tweet below, Ruthy Munoz shares another tweet by an employee who says that this was the “first time my life was on the line in this plant.”
From a worker at the Baton Rouge Exxon Refinery where he says there was an explosion. Glad he’s not hurt. #ExxonFire #BatonRouge https://t.co/USQu6u43Gl
— Ruthy Munoz （花木兰） (@ruthymunoz) February 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/hingramm/status/1227474768552697857
UPDATE from Baton Rouge Fire about the fire at an Exxon oil refinery plant:
– No injuries
– Fire department is continuing to monitor air quality
– Exxon Firefighters are combating fire
MORE from our ABC affiliate: https://t.co/XG4Hnv9whn pic.twitter.com/EdpfhPVGqz— Lindsey Mastis (@LindseyMastis) February 12, 2020
Formerly known as Standard Oil, ExxonMobil has been in Baton Rouge since 1909, and the plant is more than just an oil refinery — it’ s a chemical plant as well that works with polyolefins and plastics. It’s one of the major employers in our area, with around 7,000 employees as of 2018. In a tweet, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge says that there are no reported injuries and all readings are non-detect.
UPDATE: We are responding to a fire at the Refinery. The fire was contained to the area where it occurred. There are no reported injuries. We are actively monitoring the facility fence line and surrounding areas of the NBR community. At this point, all readings are non-detect.
— ExxonMobil Baton Rouge (@ExxonMobilBRA) February 12, 2020
Air Quality?
This is actually kind of terrifying. The Baton Rouge Fire Department told KATCTV2 that the air quality samples in the morning were coming back undetectable.
The fire is contained here at ExxonMobil. The Baton Rouge Fire Department tells @KATCTV3 that the air quality samples are coming back undetectable and that they are still working to put out hotspots with Exxon’s response team. pic.twitter.com/dqcrSXXhK4
— Chris Welty (@Chris_R_Welty) February 12, 2020
The need for clean energy is vital. I’m not just saying that because I was about to be in a deep, good sleep that got interrupted by a “not-an-explosion.” A problem is the denial by our leaders and their decision to turn the other cheek instead of trying to create viable solutions. This shows that they really don’t care about those who are affected.
Photos taken by Zachary resident Denny Butler, who was driving home from work on I-110 when “the whole sky lit up, bright enough to be daytime.” He has several friends who work at Exxon. “I’m just glad everybody is safe. If that really blows up, we’re all gonna be dead.” pic.twitter.com/UPRptvIVxt
— Lea Skene (@lea_skene) February 12, 2020
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