http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/valero_mcKee_rifinery_explosion Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:06:17 -0800 pixel-app en http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12571 Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12571
A Valero contractor was in critical but stable condition at the University Medical Center's burn unit in Lubbock, the company said. Two Valero employees who had been in the burn unit were released from the hospital Monday, according to the company.

They were among 14 hospitalized after Friday's blaze at the McKee refinery in West Texas. The company over the weekend adjusted its earlier report that 19 people were hospitalized. Medical problems included smoke inhalation, chest pain, asthma and high blood pressure, the company said.

San Antonio-based Valero, the largest refiner in North America, operates 17 refineries, 16 in North America and one in Aruba. The McKee refinery is one of six in Texas and has a capacity of 170,000 barrels per day.

Sunray, which has population of about 2,000, is about 60 miles north of Amarillo.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12556 Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12556
Area hospitals were treating the injured workers, including at least one who suffered burns. Another was treated for chest pains.

"All employees have been accounted for," Valero spokeswoman Mary Rose Brown said Friday in an e-mailed statement. "Valero emergency response team members administered first aid on-site to three individuals."

Late Friday, Valero shut down the 170,000-barrel-a-day refinery that is near Dumas, about 50 miles north of Amarillo. The Amarillo Globe-News reported that workers had "pulled back" from fighting the fire and were talking with local fire officials about other resources that could be used to battle the blaze.

Eyewitnesses told the Globe-News that billows of black smoke were visible for 60 miles. Dumas Fire Chief Paul Jenkins said the explosion occurred about 2 p.m.

San Antonio-based Valero said the fire probably started in the propane de-asphalting unit, which processes residual fuel at high temperatures.

A contract worker was taken by helicopter to the Harnar Burn Center at University Medical Center in Lubbock, while two Valero refining employees were taken to the burn center by ambulance, Brown said.

A fourth person, another Valero refining employee, was taken to a local hospital with chest pains, Brown said.

Sixteen others were taken to the hospital. Only four remained hospitalized and were being treated for chest pains, anxiety and stress, Valero said. Of the 10 people treated at Moore County Hospital in Dumas, most suffered from smoke inhalation, said Theron Park, the hospital district's chief executive.

The fire at McKee is the sixth accident that has occurred at Valero-owned plants since late last month. Valero had to extinguish a fire at its plant in Delaware City, Del., on Tuesday and another at its Texas City plant Jan. 28.

Valero is dealing with the McKee fire by setting up emergency response centers at the site and in San Antonio.

"Valero has sent two planes from its corporate headquarters in San Antonio with support teams, supplies and other resources," Brown said. "Emergency response team members from other Valero refineries are also on the way to provide support."

Although the blaze had subsided substantially, it had not been extinguished late Friday, Valero said in a statement.

In addition to evacuating the refinery, pipeline company NuStar Energy formerly Valero LP has evacuated its offices. NuStar has shut down its pipeline into and out of the McKee plant as part of emergency response procedures, Brown said.
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No deaths were reported and all employees at the Valero Energy Corp. McKee Refinery were accounted for, the company said.

The blaze had subsided substantially by late Friday but still had not been extinguished by Saturday morning. Paul Jenkins, fire chief in the nearby community of Dumas, said Valero's fire brigade was fighting the blaze.

Valero said the fire was believed to have started at the refinery's "propane de-asphalting unit," where fuel is processed at high temperatures.

A company spokeswoman did not immediately return a call seeking comment Saturday.

More than 400 workers were evacuated from the refinery after the explosion, authorities said. The refinery was shut down after the blast, as were pipelines in and out of the facility, the company said.

Two Valero employees and a contract worker who had been in critical condition were transferred to a regional burn unit in Lubbock. By Saturday, two of the men had been upgraded to serious condition, a nursing supervisor at the hospital said.

Valero, the largest refiner in North America, operates 17 refineries, 16 in North America and one in Aruba. The McKee refinery, located in Sunray, is one of six in Texas and has a capacity of 170,000 barrels per day. Sunray has a population of about 2,000.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12568 Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12568
But Friday's blast at the 170,000-barrel-a-day plant, which Valero shut down, was the talk of the town.

Jim and Linda White, who were working their cattle and wheat farm just six miles away from the Texas Panhandle plant, said they knew some of the workers who were injured. The fire, which began at about 2 p.m., sent 19 workers to area hospitals, including three to a burn center at University Medical Center in Lubbock.

The condition of two of the Valero Energy Corp. workers at the burn center was upgraded to satisfactory Saturday morning, while one remained in critical condition, a nursing supervisor said.

Jim White was on his property Friday afternoon when he thought he saw a fire before he heard the boom of an explosion at the plant.

"Right before dark, the smoke was just pure black," he said.

Linda White said her mother told her the blast shook windows at her house on the other side of Dumas, about 10 miles from the refinery.

As the Whites finished some farm work Saturday, a few vehicles headed down FM 119 toward the plant, which sits on a pancake-flat expanse of yellow High Plains grass.

A few times, the refinery's stacks sent plumes of dark smoke, and at other times, smoke drifted up from what appeared to be smoldering material.

Paul Jenkins, Dumas County fire chief, said Valero had extinguished the blaze by Saturday morning, but he said some smoldering was evident.

Officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency were among the plant's visitors Saturday. They "stated that they were satisfied with the refinery's response and have left the site," Valero spokeswoman Mary Rose Brown said in an e-mailed statement.

Officials from Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration remained at the plant, she said, while a team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board was to arrive late Saturday, she said.

The company said the fire started at the refinery's propane de-asphalting unit, where fuel is processed at high temperatures. The cause is under investigation, and Brown said initial reports "show that the damage to the refinery was largely confined" to the propane unit and nearby pipes.

"We do not yet know the full extent of the damage, the required repair time or the estimated production impact," Brown said.

But employees' paychecks will keep coming.

"Pay and benefits will continue uninterrupted," Brown said, adding that supervisors will advise employees on when to return to work.

In addition, Valero is in the process of building a kitchen and cafeteria to support workers who will rebuild the refinery. The company is putting up a massive tent that will serve as the dining hall, and food and drink is on its way, she said.

The last two of 10 workers who were treated for smoke inhalation at Moore County Hospital in Dumas were released Saturday, CEO Theron Park said.
]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/valero_mcKee_rifinery_explosion Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/valero_mcKee_rifinery_explosion Representing Victims of Refinery Explosion in Texas On February 16, 2006 an explosion rocked the Valero McKee Refinery in Sunray, Texas injuring 19 people to date and sparking a blaze that sent a massive black cloud billowing into the sky. One contract employee and two Valero workers with burns were transferred to University Medical Center in Lubbock, home of the regional burn unit. The three men were in critical condition and sixteen others were taken to a hospital. Only four remained hospitalized and were being treated for chest pains, anxiety and stress, Valero said. Of the 10 people treated at Moore County Hospital in Dumas, most suffered from smoke inhalation, said Theron Park, the hospital district's chief executive.

The refinery was shut down after the blast, as were pipelines in and out of the facility, the company said. Smoke from the fire could be seen in Amarillo, Texas, which is 60 miles away. Valero said the fire was believed to have started at the refinery's propane deasphalting unit, where fuel is processed at high temperatures. More than 400 workers were evacuated from the Valero McKee Refinery after the explosion, authorities said. No fatalities were reported, and the plant said all employees had been accounted for.

Valero, the largest refiner in North America, operates 17 refineries, 16 in North America and one in Aruba. The McKee refinery, located in Sunray, is one of six in Texas and has a capacity of 170,000 barrels per day.

Legal Rights for Victims
If you or a loved one suffered serious illnesses and/ or injuries as a result of this refinery explosion in Texas you may be entiltled to compensation, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified pollutants attorney.]]>