Juan A. Lozano美联社
休斯顿（美联社） - 周三在德克萨斯州埃克森美孚（Exxon Mobil）炼油厂发生的爆炸和火灾造成了37人受到轻伤，在今年休斯顿地区的一系列石化工业中，最新一系列的石化工业大火。
The fire began after an explosion at approximately 11:07 a.m. at an Exxon Mobil plant in Baytown, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston. The facility processes light hydrocarbons including propane and propylene, materials used to make plastic and industrial products.
Jason Duncan, the plant manager, said many of those hurt suffered minor burns and all were being treated at a local clinic. Earlier, Exxon Mobil had said in a statement that six people were injured. All employees at the plant had been accounted for, officials said.
爆炸后，大火向天空散发着大量黑烟。到星期三下午，烟雾减少了。邓肯说，大火已经被隔离并包含，但尚未被扑灭。
“It is our number one priority to protect the people in the community and the people that work for us,” Duncan said.
The city of Baytown issued a shelter in place for residents living west of the plant shortly after the fire. It remained in place for about three hours before being lifted Wednesday afternoon.
The cause of the explosion and fire was still being investigated, Duncan said.
埃克森美孚（Exxon Mobil）以及贝敦（Baytown）和哈里斯县（Harris County）的官员对工厂及周边地区进行了空气质量监测，但没有发现任何提出任何健康问题的东西。
Wednesday’s fire is the latest at a Houston-area petrochemical facility this year, including one at another facility on the Exxon Mobil Baytown complex.
On March 16, a fire erupted at a refinery at the complex. The fire was extinguished hours later, but Harris County officials say it continued to release toxic pollutants for eight more days. The county has sued Exxon Mobil, accusing the company of violating the federal Clean Air Act.
Also in March, a fire burned for days at a petrochemical storage facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company in nearby Deer Park and caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway. After the fire, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office filed water pollution charges against ITC.
4月，一名工人在一辆易燃化学物质在附近的克罗斯比（Kmco LLC）经营的一家工厂中大火后死亡。
哈里斯县法官莉娜·希达尔戈（Lina Hidalgo）说，在周三的大火发生之前，哈里斯县已经对当地官员和机构在今年早些时候发生石化综合大火之后如何应对此类事件。
Some of the steps the county is taking as a result of this analysis include asking for more air monitors, improving how the public is informed about such incidents and improving communication between agencies that respond to such incidents. Hidalgo said the county fire marshal’s office is also working to increase its inspections of area petrochemical facilities.
“对于我们来说，生活在石化综合体旁边并有时会生活在恐惧中是不合适的。因此，我们必须改善这种情况，我们正在这样做。
The plant in Wednesday’s explosion and fire is part of the company’s 3,400-acre (1,375-hectare) refinery complex in Baytown.
According to records kept by the Environmental Protection Agency, the plant had 68 tons (69 metric tons) of ethylene on site in 2017. It also had large quantities of other potentially hazardous chemicals, including ammonia, benzene, and propylene.
该设施是埃克森美孚同意在与美国政府达成和解中使用反污染技术改造的八种工厂之一。该公司还同意在其工厂违反《清洁空气法》违反《清洁空气法》后向联邦和州当局支付250万美元的罚款。
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美联社作家Nomaan Merchant为这份报告做出了贡献。
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