CORPUS CHRISTI — Citgo Refining and Chemicals Co. continues to produce gasoline though two units are shut off after a fire Sunday at its East Plant.

Company spokesman Jesse Garcia said the fire, which continued to burn residuals, was extinguished at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. The residual fire kept investigation teams from beginning their work of determining how the fire started and the amount of emissions released.

Investigation teams include an internal team, one from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, one from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and a four-person team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board. The board investigates the top 10 to 15 most serious chemical incidents in the country.

The fire, which started in the hydrogen fluoride alkylation unit, also caused the shutdown of the facility’s No. 1 fluid catalytic cracker unit, which can’t run without the alkylation unit. The shutdowns of both units might force the refinery to change the blend of its gasoline, but the overall product will meet client specifications, Garcia said.

The Citgo employee injured in the fire remained in critical condition Wednesday at Brooke Army Medical Center, he added.

Print PDF