CBRN event in United States of America on Fri 13th March 2026

A fire erupted Thursday night at a LyondellBasell chemical plant southeast of Houston, prompting a response from local emergency crews as well as Harris County Pollution Control. No injuries were immediately reported, according to the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, which dispatched its hazmat team and said shortly after 11 p.m. there was “no action needed from the community at this time.” Fire departments from La Porte and Pasadena also responded to the fire at 10801 Choate Rd. in Pasadena. Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox. “Harris County Pollution Control is conducting air monitoring in the area surrounding the facility,” the La Porte Office of Emergency Management wrote on its Facebook page at about 11:20 p.m. Thursday. “No actionable readings have been detected at this time.” An alert message posted through the East Harris County Manufacturers Association said there was an “operational upset” at the LyondellBasell plant, which produces chemicals used for products such as paint, auto parts, gasoline components and antifreeze. “During this time, the community may hear emergency sirens or rumbling noises and see emergency vehicles responding, as well as bright flames or smoke,” stated an alert message posted late Thursday night. A subsequent alert message, posted after midnight, said the fire started at about 9 p.m. and that all plant personnel were “safe and accounted for.” “The safety of our employees and our neighbors remains priority as response efforts continue,” the message also stated. At approximately 10 a.m. Friday, the Harris County Fire Marshal said the fire had been fully extinguished at 2 a.m. and that no injuries were reported. "The LyondellBasell facility experienced a process upset, which resulted in a release of flammable product that was ignited by the pilot light of a flaring operation," the fire marshal said in a post on social media. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said via a statement early Friday morning that the county's office of emergency management was on scene. Hidalgo also said Harris County Pollution Control had set up seven air monitoring stations around the site of the fire, and there was no immediate chemical threat to the community. Houston Public Media’s Kyle McClenagan contributed to this article.