Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery Accident Kills One

An employee of the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery died as a result of a fire in the Texas City facility. The deceased worker has been identified as Deer Park, Texas, resident Scott Higgins. A fire broke out at the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery, located at 2938 5^th Avenue South in Texas City, at about 10:00 Monday morning, May 15, 2023. According to officials, there have been no other fatalities as a result of the refinery fire.

The possibility does exist that there have been some other injuries at the refinery as a result of the fire, according to officials from Marathon. With that said, at least one individual has announced that he was injured as a result of the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery fire. It is unclear whether or not this individual was hospitalized. The nature and extent of this worker’s alleged injuries are not known either.

Cause of the Marathon Refinery Accident Officially Unknown

As of the following day, the cause of the Marathon refinery fire evidently has not yet been identified. With that said, an investigation is underway in regard to the underlying case of the blaze. Marathon together with more than one governmental agency will be involved in the investigation of the cause of the blaze.

Although official information about the cause of the refinery blaze is not known at this time, some workers have reported what they believe to have caused the fire. According to workers at the scene, they believe that what is known as a splitter pump developed a leak and then caught fire. A splitter pump is also sometimes referred to as a condensate splitter. It is part of the equipment used in the distillation process in an oil and gas refinery.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Monitored Air for a Short Time

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality did monitor air quality in the aftermath of the refinery fire. The air monitoring lasted for less than a day. According to the agency, the general population was never at any risk as a result of the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery fire.

Marathon has issued a brief statement about the deadly incident at its Texas City refinery:

We are deeply saddened to report that a Marathon employee has passed away as a result of the fire today at Marathon Petroleum’s Galveston Bay refinery. We extend our deepest sympathies to our employee’s family, friends and co-workers, and our thoughts are with them as we all mourn his passing. The safety of our workers and the community is our top priority, and a full investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.

Texas Refinery Fires are Common Events

Texas refinery fires are alarmingly commonplace. Unfortunately, this is not the first fatal accident at the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery in recent months. On February 28, 2023, a contract worker at the facility was electrocuted at the facility.

A Shell refinery fire earlier in May in Deer Park, Texas, resulted in the hospitalization of nine workers. In addition, massive plumes of smoke spread from the refinery over a large area, black smoke that had the potential of containing toxic materials. In March, another fire – this one at a refinery owned by INEOS Phenol in Pasadena, Texas – resulted in injury to one of the facility’s workers.

Your Legal Rights After a Refinery Accident

The Doan Law Firm closely monitors the aftermath of tragic incidents like the Marathon Galveston Bay Refinery fire and other types of refinery accidents. A nationwide law firm, we are headquartered in Houston. Our team has a long history of working with people injured in refinery accidents as well as families who have lost loved ones in refinery explosions and refinery fires.

You can connect with The Doan Law Firm any time of the day or night by calling us at (800) 349-0000. We can arrange a no-cost and no-obligation consultation for you with an experienced, compassionate refinery accident injury lawyer. The Doan Law Firm and its refinery accident lawyer team make an attorney fee pledge to you. Our firm never charges an attorney fee unless we win your case for you.