A chemical release at the Pemex refinery in Deer Park killed one person, injured at least 10, and prompted a shelter-in-place in both the Cities of Deer Park and Pasadena on Thursday night. 

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is still waiting on a final count on those who were injured during the event, said Thomas Gilliland, public information officer for the sheriff’s office. The Office first tweeted about the explosion at 6:35 pm, confirming one death and indicating that another person had to be airlifted to receive medical attention.  

Texas State Highway 225 is closed in both directions near Beltway 8 due to the event, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. 

According to authorities, the chemical released is hydrogen sulfide, a colorless, flammable, toxic gas that is hazardous even in small amounts. It strongly smells of rotten eggs and can cause a variety of health issues, from irritation to headaches to seizures. 

“The incident has been contained within the Pemex facility,” the City of Deer Park said in a statement. “There is no threat to the community.” 

Deer Park also noted via X that their emergency text service is malfunctioning, and some residents may not receive alerts about the chemical release. 

On the industry emergency response website, CAER, Shell Deer Park said it is “aware of and responding to an incident that occurred at another company within the boundaries of the complex. This is not a Shell Deer Park incident.” 

The company added that they are “doing a controlled slow down as a precaution and there will be flaring from our facility as part of our response measure.” 

This is an ongoing story.

Eileen Grench contributed to this report.

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