Texas City Declares Shelter-In-Place Due To ‘Chemical Release’ At Refinery

Officials in Texas City, Texas, issued a shelter-in-place order following a chemical release at a refinery on Sunday morning.

An alert about the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery situation was shared on city social media just after 9 a.m. local time.

In their statement, officials called the event a “chemical release” but did not elaborate or give further details.

Out of an abundance of caution, the shelter-in-place remains in effect for the area south of FM-519 to the Texas City Y, due to an incident in progress at Marathon GBR.

There are no residential areas affected, and no air monitoring readings that indicate danger to life or health pic.twitter.com/ePryHdqcMu

— City of Texas City (@CityofTexasCity) December 17, 2023

Residents south of the refinery have been advised to stay indoors with all windows and doors locked and to turn off heat and air conditioning units until further notice.

Officials said a shelter-in-place order will go into effect for residents south of the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery in Texas City. (City of Texas City)

“There are no residential areas affected, and no air monitoring readings that indicate danger to life or health,” officials wrote on X.

A warning was issued to drivers to avoid the area. Several intersections are blocked off, and no traffic will be allowed through per local officials.