Students are returning to school in an area southeast of Houston after a fire at a petrochemical storage facility prompted several days of canceled classes.
Students were back in class Monday in Deer Park, Galena Park and other communities near the International Terminals Company in Deer Park. Classes were canceled because of concerns over air quality near the facility, which caught fire on March 17 and burned for several days.
The fire destroyed or damaged storage tanks that contained components of gasoline and materials used in nail polish remover, glues and paint thinner. Elevated levels of benzene were detected in the air Thursday, prompting officials to order people to remain indoors.
Sarai Aranda hugs her son, who was part of the cleanup crew to empty out the remaining chemicals in the open tanks, as the Intercontinental Terminals Company petrochemical fire reignited, Friday, March 22, 2019, in Deer Park, Texas. The efforts to clean up a Texas industrial plant that burned for several days this week were hamstrung Friday by a briefly reignited fire and a breach that led to chemicals spilling into the nearby Houston Ship Channel. (Godofredo A. VasquezHouston Chronicle via AP)
The fire also led to the closure of part of the Houston Ship Channel. The U.S. Coast Guard says it hopes to have the channel reopened Monday.
Intercontinental Terminals Company incident commander Brent Weber answers a question about efforts to contain and clean out the chemicals that remained in burned out tanks Saturday, March 23, 2019, in Pasadena, Texas. The efforts to clean up the Texas industrial plant that burned for several days this week were hamstrung Friday by a briefly reignited fire and a breach that led to chemicals spilling into the nearby Houston Ship Channel. (AP PhotoDavid J. Phillip)