BASF TotalEnergies fire in Port Arthur leads collapsed tower, evacuation of employees

Published 12:51 pm Tuesday, September 5, 2023

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PORT ARTHUR — On Tuesday at approximately 10:45 a.m., a fire occurred in the pyrolysis gasoline unit at the BASF TotalEnergies Petrochemicals site in Port Arthur.

Company officials said as of 11:55 a.m. Tuesday, the pyrolysis tower collapsed.

Out of an abundance of caution, employees not directly involved in resolving the incident were evacuated at approximately 12:20 p.m.

Emergency personnel are responding. All employees have been accounted for and there are no injuries. There is no offsite impact, company official noted.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“BASF regards protection of health, safety and the environment as our most important responsibility,” a BASF TotalEnergies statement read. “We care about our employees and we care about our communities. We are committed to operating facilities in a safe and environmentally responsible fashion.”