PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Residents on the west side of Port Arthur were startled by a loud boom late Tuesday night which appears to have come from the Valero Refinery on the west side of the city.
Several callers to the 12News newsroom left messages at about 11 p.m. reporting they had heard a loud boom on the city's west side between 10:30 and 11 p.m.
One caller reported that the ground at his home shook.
"All of a sudden I heard a loud sound. Then all I heard was 'BOOM!' And it was like a glare," said west Port Arthur resident William Ervin.
Ervin said he was sitting on his couch Tuesday night when the boom shook his home.
He said it was like experiencing an earthquake.
"We're pretty much caught between plants,” Ervin said. “Motiva. We got Chevron. Then right on Procter Street we got German Pellets across the street. So we're pretty much sitting in the middle of it."
Ervin tried calling Port Arthur Police, but they didn't know anything.
Community activist Hilton Kelley grew up in west Port Arthur by the refineries. He understands why the boom left neighbors nervous.
"Many people are disturbed by that,” Kelley said. “Their windows were rattled. They're feeling nervous about what's going on and there's no disclosure about what was released in the air so what they're breathing."
The Valero Port Arthur Refinery released a statement Wednesday afternoon stating that during maintenance "a vessel was over pressured, popping open a hatch that resulted in a loud sound."
Tuesday's incident comes two years after the TPC explosions rocked Port Neches.
"They bared the brunt of that explosion, their windows were blown out, garage doors blown in...they were even exposed to Benzene," Kelley said.
Kelley said these things should remind Southeast Texans how vulnerable we are.
“We are hopeful that Valero can get their act together and reduce the emissions that are being released and eliminate all explosions and accidents from happening in our community," Kelley said.
Other than the loud noise there were no environmental impacts and no injuries the refinery reported Wednesday afternoon.
The refinery's statement acknowledged that refinery officials believe that the hatch popping open was the sound that their neighbors heard and regret any disturbance the sound caused residents.
The Valero Port Arthur Refinery, described on the Valero website as a “flagship refinery within the Valero system”, is situated on about 4,000 acres on the west side of Port Arthur.
The 121-year-old refinery was originally commissioned in 1901 and was bought by Premcor in 2005 according to the Valero website. Premcor was acquired by Valero in 2005.
The refinery, which produces gasoline, jet fuel, petroleum coke, diesel and petrochemicals, employs 800 and has a throughput capacity of 395,000 barrels per day the website said.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
Full statement from Valero...
In the process of completing maintenance activity at Valero’s Port Arthur refinery, a vessel was over pressured popping open a hatch that resulted in a loud sound.
We believe this is what some neighbors reported hearing.
Other than the sound, there are no environmental impacts or concerns and there were no injuries.
We regret any disturbance that this caused any of our neighbors.