“Right now we can confirm two fatalities,” Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office spokeswoman Rachel K. Neutzler tells CNN.
At least four people sustained burns, according to a statement from LyondellBasell, provided to CNN by La Porte’s public information officer Lee Woodward.
The statement said there was “an acetic acid leak” at the facility.
“Our on-site incident response team responded quickly, and the leak is stopped. Emergency responders from the City of La Porte and Channel Industries Mutual Aid are on scene,” the LyondellBasell statement said.
“We are working closely with responders to confirm all employees are accounted for. Air monitoring demonstrated no levels of concern for the community,” the statement said.
The first report came in at around 7:30 p.m., Woodward told CNN.
“LyondellBasell La Porte requested support from La Porte EMS regarding a mass casualty incident at their facility,” he said.
The area is in unincorporated Harris County, adjacent to the City of La Porte, Woodward said.
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