Massive explosion, fire in Southwest Houston

KHOU TV Channel 11 ^ | 06:10 PM CST on Friday, December 3, 2004 | From 11 News Staff Reports

[FreedomCalls]

HOUSTON -- Firefighters are on the scene of a huge explosion and fire near Fondren and South Main in Southwest Houston.

Residents reported feeling at least two explosion from miles away just before 6 p.m.

It appears to be some kind of manufacturing plant. It's not clear if there are any injuries.

[NonValueAdded]

From the pulled post from ABC 13: The fire is reported to be burning at the Marcus Oil and Chemical plant, a wax technology company located near Fondren and South Main.

[deport]

Dec. 3, 2004, 6:53PM

Explosion, fire rocks chemical plant in southwest Houston

Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

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Multiple explosions at a chemical plant rocked southwest Houston Friday night, sending flames that could be seen for miles into the early-evening sky.

Houston firefighters were battling intense flames at Marcus Oil and Chemical plant in the 14500 block of Minetta near Fondren and Main. It was unknown if there were any injuries in the explosion.

A fire at the plant at year began when a flange on a tank broke, causing hot oil estimated at 700 degrees to burst into flames when it reached the cool air.

[Americanwolf]

you get points for both orginality and current events tie in! :)

[NonValueAdded]

All part of the friendly service ... thanks.

[DaveMSmith]

Amen. Probably the best trained hazmat crews in the nation located in the area. Prayers up.

[HipShot]

TM PING

[SE Mom]

Thanks for the URL...amazing watching and listening to this...woman talking about injuries and breaking windows in the area...sounds like a real disaster. They're starting to evacuate some people...

[TomGuy]

Employee being interviewed on Ch 11 KHOU feed says the plant had wax inside. He doesn't know how it started.

Announcer says it is polyurethane wax product.

[FreedomCalls]

I'm watching live too. Of the three night employees on duty, two speak no English and one speaks just a little.

[The Electrician]

Is it this Marcus Oil & Chemical?

[FreedomCalls]

Here's their product list:

http://www.marcusoil.com/products.html

[FreedomCalls]

That's it.

[Syntyr]

[TomGuy]

Marcus Oil and Chemical

About Us

 

Division of H.R.D. Corporation
Low Molecular Weight Polyethylene Waxes

Plant	Mailing Address	Telephone	Fax
14549 Minetta	PO Drawer 450267	713-721-9131	713-726-9885
Houston, TX 77035	Houston, TX 77245	800-Marcus1
U.S.A	U.S.A	800-627-2871

 

Marcus Oil & Chemical, a division of HRD Corporation (a privately held corporation), was formed in 1987 for the sole purpose of producing linear, low molecular weight polyethylene waxes, with high melt points.  The production facility, located in Houston, Texas, at 14549 Minetta Street, was retrofitted from a new existing plant for this express purpose, utilizing high density polyethylene wax from the Ziegler process.
 

Dedicated tankers truck the molten feedstock from petrochemical plants on the Gulf Coast and other domestic and international sources to the Marcus facility where it is refined into several grades of PE wax.  It is then shipped in molten state, or accudroped and shipped in a variety of packaging styles, e.g. pastille, powder, micronized and flake form.  The processing unit includes a drum flaker as well as six accudrop belts (60" wide and 88'long).  The plant operates seven days per week, 24 hours per day.  Annual capacity is in excess of 250 million pounds.

Marcus Oil & Chemical storage and shipping warehouse is located in Houston, Texas, on South Main Street at Stella Link, one mile form Interstate Highway 610 and 8 miles form the Port of Houston.  Also, a rail siding is on site.  Shipments from this facility are destined not only for North American points but also worldwide destinations.

[TXnMA]

Here is a Mapquest map with the site marked with a star.

The major petrochemical industry area is many miles to the northeast -- along the Houston Ship Channel, which runs between Galena Park and Pasadena and lies to the north of Deer Park on the right side of the map.

Until the company was identified, I feared it might be the Texas Instruments plant in Stafford...

[CindyDawg]

This near any of you Houston guys?

[maestro]

....Marcus Oil & Chemical, a division of HRD Corporation (a privately held corporation), was formed in 1987

....is this owned by the OBL 'family'....et al?

.....big story here?

[TomGuy]

KHOU 11 newsguy: About all they can do is try to contain, keep it from spreading to other areas, and let it burn itself out.

Apt Complex about 1.5 to 2 blocks from the fire.

Resident at complex says glass broken in apts. Door (sliding?) is off frame.

[ConservativeLawStudent]

I am downtown in a 3 story townhome and felt a pretty violent shake. My roommate yelled upstairs to ask what happened. I guess thats what it was.

[TXnMA]

We had the same idea (Mapquest). However, my Mapquest query for "Fondren & South Main" shows a site that is near Missouri City -- several miles southeast of the site shown on your map...