Houston refinery fire doused, no injuries reported

Houston refinery fire at LyondellBasell plant

Houston refinery fire
The cause of the Houston refinery fire on Friday morning has yet to be determined.  ABC News photo.

HOUSTON _ A Houston refinery fire has been extinguished after it sent a large cloud of dark smoke over a wide area of southeast Houston.

Houston Fire Department Senior Capt. Ruy Lozano says no injuries have been reported in the blaze that broke out late Friday morning at a LyondellBasell plant. Flames were extinguished within about an hour.

No cause for the fire has been released and it wasn’t immediately disclosed what chemical was fueling the blaze.

LyondellBasell describes the plant as one of the nation’s largest refineries to process heavy-sulfur crude oil into clean fuels including reformulated gasoline and low-sulfur diesel, along with heating oil, jet fuel and lubricants.

The plant is among dozens that make up one of the world’s largest petrochemical complexes along the Houston Ship Channel.

The Canadian Press