New Fire At Deer Park Plant As Leaking Toxins Close Ship Channel

A fireball again erupted into the sky. An unknown volume of chemicals leaked into waterways, destined for Galveston Bay. Deer Park residents peered out their windows at another plume of black smoke. Friday brought a bout of deja vu to the Houston Ship Channel, where for the sixth consecutive day firefighters battled a massive chemical fire that has so far burned 11 storage tanks at Intercontinental Terminals Company. “People are scared. I’m scared,” said Jennifer Tijerina of Pasadena, as she held her 10-month-old boy, Sammy, on her hip. “Just information and reassurance would’ve been nice.” A day ITC hoped would bring no surprises as the company carefully drained flammable compounds from exposed 80,000-barrel tanks devolved into a series of emergencies that exposed new dangers.