(Houston, TX) – The Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency (HCOHSEM) continues to monitor the Intercontinental Terminal Company (ITC) plant site in the City of Deer Park even after the fire has been extinguished. The Harris County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has moved to Level III Increased Readiness.
As of 3:00 a.m. this morning the fires at the ITC site had been extinguished. Firefighters continued using foam fire retardant on nearby tanks to try to reduce the chances of new fires starting. While there was a small flare at approximately 5:20 p.m. this evening, the threat of fires reigniting remains low.
“Dozens of response partners joined together after the fire began to protect the health and safety of Harris County residents,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “We will continue to monitor the site of the fire and conduct air quality testing until there is no longer any potential public health risk.”
Mobile and stationary air quality monitors from eight organizations are continuing to collect data across the county. Harris County Pollution Control, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Harris County Public Health, 6th Civil Support Team, Center for Toxicology & Environment Health (CTEH), and the City of Houston are present in the Harris County Emergency Operations Center.
So far, air quality monitoring sensors from the various agencies continue to indicate only modest levels of air quality concern, remaining in the “good” to “moderate” range. The sensors are monitoring for a range of indicators of potential threats to human and environmental health.
The Coast Guard, EPA, TCEQ, ITC and their contractor are monitoring potential impacts to the waters.
To keep the public informed, HCOHSEM continues to regularly update the www.ReadyHarris.org/deerparkfire web page, which provides air quality and public health information related to the incident. HCOHSEM urges residents to stay informed and follow safety messages from local emergency management officials.