An executive for the Houston-area petrochemical storage facility that was heavily damaged by fire says the company has received hundreds of compensation claims seeking lost wages and other damages.
Brent Weber, a senior vice president for International Terminals Company, told reporters Tuesday that about 2,000 people have called an ITC claims hotline and another 300 have submitted claims in writing.
He didn't specify how many made a formal claim.
The petrochemical fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company reignited as crews tried to clean out the chemicals that remained in the tanks, 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)
Coast Guard Lt. Commander Caren Damon says a portion of the Houston Ship Channel remains closed Tuesday , but that ships have navigated the restricted portion of the channel without a gas component tainting their hulls.
The Deer Park facility caught fire March 17 and burned for days .
Schools and roads were closed and gasoline and other materials seeped into nearby waters.
In this Tuesday, March 19, 2019 photo, shows smoke rising from a fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company near the Carpenter Elementary School in Deer Park, Texas. Officials have lifted an order to remain indoors after several readings showed that the air quality had improved near a scorched petrochemical storage facility in suburban Houston. City officials in Deer Park lifted the order Thursday and reopened roads around the Intercontinental Terminals Company. But residents living near ITC say they're skeptical of what public officials are telling them. (Jeffrey Fountain via AP)