DEER PARK, Texas — A tragic incident occurred at a Houston-area oil refinery on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of at least two workers due to a hydrogen sulfide leak. Following the leak, authorities issued urgent advisories for nearby residents to remain indoors until they could confirm that the public was not in immediate danger.
According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, nearly thirty other individuals were either transported to nearby hospitals or received treatment on-site. Despite the efforts to respond, Gonzalez indicated that conditions remained hazardous for investigators trying to enter the area, with access potentially delayed until Friday. The refinery is operated by Pemex, Mexico’s national oil company, and is situated in Deer Park, a suburb of Houston.
The gas release originated from work being performed on a flange, as the facility is part of a larger network of oil refineries and production plants that characterize Houston as a central hub for the petrochemical industry. Pemex released a statement confirming that investigations are in progress and it has proactively halted operations at two of its units to reduce the impact of the incident.
In response to the emergency, city officials initially implemented a shelter-in-place directive, which was subsequently rescinded after air quality monitoring indicated no risks to the wider community, according to Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton. Hydrogen sulfide is known for its pungent odor and can be highly toxic in substantial concentrations. “Aside from the odor, we have not detected any real air quality issues that suggest anything escaped the facility,” Mouton stated.
Eyewitness accounts from television news crews depicted numerous emergency response vehicles and ambulances at the location. Sheriff Gonzalez had previously reported via the social media platform X that one individual had been transported to a hospital via helicopter, but later clarified in a press conference that no one was actually airlifted.
This incident marks the second occasion in recent weeks that Deer Park has faced shelter-in-place orders due to industrial accidents. Just last month, a pipeline fire that lasted four days necessitated evacuations of nearby neighborhoods, raising ongoing concerns about safety in the area.
