Fire breaks out at BP plant in Texas City

TEXAS CITY, TX (KTRK) -- You didn't have to be near Texas City to see the smoke created by a fire at BP's plant Tuesday afternoon.

That huge plume of smoke could be seen for miles, but according to plant officials it did not pose a threat to anyone nearby.

The fire is now out after it burned for about an hour and a half.

Video from SkyEye 13 HD showed crews attempting to fight that fire. It stated at about 1:30pm in what BP says is the "residual hydrotreating unit." It's a portion of the facility here where oil is separated based on its boiling temperature.

It's not clear yet what sparked the fire.

We saw flames that were about seven feet high. There were no injuries.

BP crews working nearest the fire were evacuated, but there was no shelter-in-place called for surrounding areas.

The unit where the fire burned has been shut down, but BP says the rest of the refinery continues to operate and produce for its customers.

The BP Fire Department and Texas City Fire Department are here still making sure the fire does not re-ignite.

A point of background -- this refinery is in the process of being sold to Marathon Petroleum Corp. It's a deal worth about $2.5 billion. A BP spokesperson says the sale is to be complete at the end of the year.

The refinery has a troubled history. A 2005 fire and explosion at the plant killed 15 workers and injured nearly 200 others.

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bp, texas city, local, kevin quinn

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