Explosion at Enterprise Products refining facility in Mont Belvieu, TX

ABC News ^ | February 8, 2011 | KTRK

[Cincinatus' Wife]

LIVE video at link

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7946342

MONT BELVIEU (KTRK) -- An explosion has rocked a refining facility in Mont Belvieu today, sending flames high into the air

The Mont Belvieu Police Department confirms an explosion about 11:45am at Enterprise Products on Sun Oil Road.

According to its website, "Enterprise owns a state of the art gasoline additive production facility that has been modified to produce isooctane, a motor gasoline octane enhancement additive used in reformulated motor gasoline blends to increase octane, and isobutylene."

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Feb. 9, 2011, 12:57PM:

[Text] Family members of the contract worker missing after an explosion and fire at a Chambers County natural gas plant Tuesday afternoon said they fear he may have died in the blast.

Mark Shaw confirmed his brother Rick Shaw, of Baytown, is the worker missing after a pipeline failed at the Enterprise Products facility 35 miles east of Houston yesterday shortly after noon and produced a towering fireball that burned for hours. Rick’s truck is still parked outside the facility, Mark said.

“It’s not looking good,” Mark said. “One of the workers that was working with him said he was in the middle of the gas cloud when it happened, so I don’t really think he got out. It was a big fire.”

Mark said Rick is divorced with two daughters, ages 13 and 9.

“He’s always working real hard, working double-time and overtime shifts for his kids so he can take them places,” Mark said. “His two kids are like his world.”

After receiving word of the incident, most of the family met at Mark’s mother’s home, he said, dispersing shortly after 1 a.m. Mark said he then went to the plant to seek information from the company, but left unsatisfied.

“I was up all night. I didn’t sleep at all,” he said. “They’re not giving us any information at all.”

Mark said his brother Jeff, an operator at the plant, had gotten Rick the contract job. Mark had heard the company was having problems the day before and was preparing to shut down parts of the plant.

Enterprise spokesman Rick Rainey would not comment on Tuesday on whether the plant was having mechanical troubles leading up to the event; Rainey did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.

“He loves his job,” Mark said of his missing brother. “I’m thinking somebody told him, ‘See if you can go stop the leak so they don’t have to shut the plant down.’” [End Text]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7419912.html

[philman_36]

Well at least there is now reporting of him actually being at work.

“It’s not looking good,” Mark said.
No, it doesn't. It pretty much turns the story into a tragedy instead of just an accident.
Thankfully only one person is lost.

[mstar]

Thank you once again for the updates. Had hoped there would be better news for this gentleman's family. May the Lord give them strength and comfort.

Thank merciful God there has been no other casualties reported.

[mstar]

I've had the background checks done on me.

Fun isn't it. . . but it has helped to keep those intending harm out.

[I_be_tc]

Turnarounds are always a scare.

[topher]

Natural Gas prices ended the day unchanged.

The problems with natural gas supplies in New Mexico were due to electrical supply problems with shipping the gas (having the 'juice' to transport the natural gas to New Mexico).

The Texas electrical power grid had all sorts of problems last week.

But prices would be going up on the futures markets if there was any significant Natural Gas problem...

A link for Texas Energy Prices:

http://www.texasalliance.org/marketinformation.php -- Texas Energy Alliance

[philman_36]

Fun isn't it. . . but it has helped to keep those intending harm out.
They never bothered me. I'm just glad that I never had to pay for it myself.

[philman_36]

Turnarounds are always a scare.
Yes, they are. ""Yeah, that line is empty", said the operator. (while you get covered from the knees/waste down in product or get a lung full of hydrocarbons when breaking a flange)
I hardly ever worked a start up. Some liked it, but not me. The risk rises! (especially if you had a bunch of green horns working it) Besides, there always seemed to be too many butt kissers present trying for brownie points.

[mstar]

They never bothered me. I'm just glad that I never had to pay for it myself.

Isn't that the truth. That with the safety films and testing would get a bit pricey. :)

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[excerpt] The body of a contract worker missing after an explosion and fire at a Chambers County natural gas plant was recovered late Wednesday, officials said.

A search crew found the body of Richard Shaw at about 6:30 p.m., said Rick Rainey, a spokesman for Enterprise Products. An accident at noon Tuesday at the Mont Belvieu company produced a towering fireball that burned for hours before diminishing as the sun set.

....After the flames died down, Enterprise personnel entered the scene to begin determining the cause of the accident and to search for Shaw, Rainey said.

.....Chambers County emergency management coordinator Ryan Holzaepfel said he was told by officials at the plant when he arrived Tuesday the cause of the explosion likely was a failed pump in an above-ground pipe rack area.

In addition to trained Enterprise staff, workers from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency responded to the incident, Rainey said.

......Though Mark Shaw had heard the facility was having problems early in the week, Rainey said the plant, to his knowledge, was having no mechanical issues. Richard Shaw and other maintenance contractors were on site as part of a scheduled “system improvement project,” not in response to a specific problem, Rainey said. [end excerpt]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7419912.html

[mstar]

How heartbreaking. Will be in prayer for the Shaw family.

Thank you Cincinatus' Wife for staying on top of this and keeping us updated. Bless you.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It must be very difficult for the two brothers mentioned in the news, as well as their other siblings. I found this yesterday. There were 10 siblings. Their father passed away last January. I know they will be a comfort to each other and there for their mother, and get through this difficult time together.

http://www.tributes.com/show/Cecil-Shaw-87472037

[philman_36]

The judge spoke truly...
"Those of us that have been here all our lives, we don't become used to them, but we have seen these type of things," Sylvia said. "We don't like them and wish they'd never happen again, but that's part of having industry in your back yard."
About two dozen of us came close to getting blown to smithereens in the early 90's. (flash fire at the first flange on a small vessel's hydrogen line that still had pressure behind the blind) One man's quick reaction saved us all that day. You have to come to grips with the understanding that you could die each and every day.

My condolences to the family and my sympathies to his coworkers. I would hate to be the man who had sent him out into the unit.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I would hate to be the man who had sent him out into the unit.

I was thinking that too. And to your comment about not knowing when we will die, that came to my mind too. It's a good reminder to not put things off or cause hurt feelings to go unmended.

[pax_et_bonum]

Thank you all so much for your prayers. My apologies for taking so long to post a thank-you.

My friend, the young man’s mom, stayed for a while that evening. She had driven from work, about 45 minutes, worrying about her son not answering his cell phone for over an hour after the explosion. Needless to say, she was a little stressed.

Your prayers meant a lot her and she asked me to express her heartfelt thanks.

[VirginiaMom]

I am so happy that the young man is safe. I can only imagine the agony your friend went through during the hour that she wasn’t able to reach him. Thank you for the update.

[no-to-illegals]

Sometimes it seems so powerless to pray, yet this is never the case, God is powerful enough for all of us. Thank You for the update, and there is no need to thank me. I did nothing other than ask God to be there, and I believed he would. I am happy your friend’s son is okay. It is wonderful to hear good news. Thank You.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Thank you for letting us know.

[mstar]

Your prayers meant a lot her and she asked me to express her heartfelt thanks

Thank you for the update and for allowing us to be a part of what God was doing.