1 injured in fire at troubled Pasadena plant

An explosion Saturday morning, March 5, 2016 at a Pasadena refinery sent plumes of smoke into the air and first responders scrambling to the scene. An explosion Saturday morning, March 5, 2016 at a Pasadena refinery sent plumes of smoke into the air and first responders scrambling to the scene. Photo: Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close 1 injured in fire at troubled Pasadena plant 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

One person was injured when an explosion at a Pasadena refinery sent plumes of smoke into the air and first responders scrambling to the scene Saturday morning.

The fire started at the Pasadena Refinery System plant at 10:15 AM at the hydrogen desulfurization unit. Mark Berlinger, health and safety manager for the company, said the fire was contained and the facility was in a "safe condition."

The company and Harris County Pollution Control did air monitoring and found "no indications of any off-site impacts," according to Berlinger.

The Houston Ship Channel closed briefly as Coast Guard hazmat teams also investigated the scene for any impact from possible chemical release in the air or any impact on the waterways. It has since reopened.

The injured worker was taken to the hospital for flash burns to his hand. Berlinger said the worker was responsive at the scene and talking to co-workers.

Officials abruptly ended the press conference after four minutes and refused to answer questions about how many workers were in the area at the time of the incident or whether the fire was preceded by an explosion. They also did not address questions about neighbors' concerns regarding the plant's operations or the facility's expired Title 5 permit.

The company has a long history of safety and pollution violations, including a previous December 2011 explosion and $1.1 million in fines since 2010 from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

"Everybody knows that place is a ticking time bomb," said Mike Boydston, a 16-year veteran of the industrial east side, who works at the nearby Kinder Morgan tank farm. "I mean, look at it. I quit going in there. I refuse."

He first visited the refinery in 2000, and said it was poorly maintained then.

He was outside at the time of Saturday's incident, but didn't hear or see an explosion. He also questioned police reports that the fire was not chemically related. He called his boss and said he didn't feel comfortable returning to work until they knew more about the situation.

Max Rivera, who has lived in the adjacent neighborhood for seven years, heard the explosion at about 9:30 a.m. and came outside to see what was happening and take a few pictures. He said it was powerful enough to shake his house.

"This right here is just one of the big things that happened but y'all aren't seeing the little things that happen around here that's on a constant basis. You can constantly smell the chemicals in there at night. Their alarms are steadily going off. It's crazy. I'm worried about it because I stay right here in this neighborhood."

Police stopped blocking Red Bluff around noon, but emergency vehicles were still active in the area.

The company has been under fire for years for a series of issues. A key federal operating permit lapsed in 2014. The plant is technically operating illegally without that permit.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the company $14,000 for the December 2011 explosion.

It's had seven emission events reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality since last October. The company had 60 such events since 2005.

"Other facilities and refineries don't have this type of event with this regularity," said Adrian Shelley of Air Alliance Houston. "It's indicative of a place with abnormal operations."

Shelley said the company has had numerous problems with two specific units at the refinery: one unit that refines heavier parts of crude oil and a sulfur recovery unit.

Saturday's fire started when workers were starting a compressor and hydrogen was released and diesel fuel in the apparatus caught fire. Officials did not offer further details about the cause.

Intermittent smoke seen throughout the morning was caused by workers clearing nearby lines with inert nitrogen gas and were not indications of the fire flaring up, Berlinger said.

The site has also been the subject of a major scandal in Brazil. According to a previous Houston Chronicle investigation: "Brazilian officials are investigating allegations that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras - overpaid hundreds of millions of dollars for the Pasadena refinery and funneled money into a massive kickback scheme that's led to dozens of convictions and arrests and fueled calls for the impeachment of the country's President Dilma Rousseff, who chaired the company until 2010."

Read more about the scandal in Mihir Zaveri and Susan Carroll's report on HoustonChronicle.com.