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Bridge City man dies inside tank at Tubal-Cain Marine Services in Port Arthur

Port Arthur Police have confirmed they are assisting after Acadian Ambulance called them for assistance.

PORT ARTHUR — A worker at a Port Arthur industrial service company near the Veteran's Memorial Bridge has died Friday afternoon.

The worker, identified as Tyler Winfree, 21, of Bridge City, who was exposed to ethylene dichloride while working inside a tank at Tubal-Cain Marine Services, died according to Jefferson County Precinct Two Justice of the Peace Marc DeRouen.

Port Arthur Deputy Chief Martin Blitch told 12News it appeared to be an industrial accident.

"We received a call in reference to a man down, we got out here and found that there had been an industrial accident and as a result of the accident we do have one deceased male," said Blitch.

He said as far as he knows, accident's like these aren't a common occurrence at Tubal-Cain.

"We've made calls for service out here before but to try and recall an industrial accident, if it's occurred I wasn't apart of it, I'm not aware of it," said Blitch.

An autopsy will be performed to confirm the cause of death DeRouen told 12News.

Representatives from the company on the scene declined to speak with 12News. They said they don't have a comment at this time.

According to the National Institutes of Health... "Ethylene Dichloride is a clear, colorless, oily, synthetic, flammable liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon with a pleasant chloroform-like smell that emits toxic fumes of hydrochloric acid when heated to decomposition. Ethylene dichloride is primarily used to produce vinyl chloride. Inhalation exposure to this substance induces respiratory distress, nausea and vomiting and affects the central nervous system, liver and kidneys. It is mutagenic in animals and is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."

"Tubal-Cain Marine Services is a Marine Fabrication, Drydock and Gas Freeing facility which offers a wide range of services, from routine Coast Guard inspections to major repair and conversion," according to their website.

The facility is located in the 8700 block of Old Yacht Club Road and employs more than 135 employees working in two shifts according to their website.

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This is a developing story. We will update with more as soon as we receive confirmed information.

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