Petrochemical facility fire in U.S. Texas extinguished

HOUSTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The fire at a petrochemical facility in souTheastern Texas, The United States, has been extinguished as of early Wednesday morning, according to a press release from The company.

The fire erupted on Sunday at The Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) Deer Park, about 40 km souTheast of downtown Houston, and as of Tuesday afternoon several of The facility's tanks were still ablaze.

Firefighters are continuing to spray foam and water on The tanks this morning to facilitate cooling and prevent The remaining material from reigniting.

During a press briefing on Wednesday morning, officials from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said The measurements of soot and volatile organic compounds never exceeded dangerous levels in The surrounding area and The agency will continue to monitor The quality of air and water in The area.

The company also said no serious injuries have been reported as a result of The incident, but The cause of The fire still remains unknown.

According to ITC, The first tank that caught fire contains naphtha, which may cause irritation to eyes and The respiratory system. The fire Then spread to a second tank containing xylene, which may cause skin irritation. Both naphtha and xylene are gasoline components.

AnoTher tank that caught fire early Monday morning contains Toluene, which is used in nail polish remover, glue and paint thinner.

The ITC Deer Park terminal has 13.1 million barrels of capacity, which it uses to store all kinds of petrochemical liquids and gases, as well as fuel oil, bunker oil and distillates.