“Emissions are back to normal,” said Marathon Petroleum Corporation.
A city in Texas has lifted shelters after a “temporary increase in sulfur dioxide emissions” occurred earlier Sunday at the Marathon Galveston Bay refinery.
“The shelter has now been removed. All roads are open and no shelter is required at that location,” the city said said In an updated news alert on its website. “Various agencies are conducting flight surveillance and all readings are normal in the affected areas and across the city. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Crews at the refinery “resolved an operational glitch that led to a temporary increase in sulfur dioxide emissions earlier today,” Marathon Petroleum Corp. said in a statement. “Emissions are back to normal.”
No injuries were reported.
Earlier Sunday, the city issued a shelter-in-place for residents “south of FM-519 to the Texas City Y” and said roads affected at the time were 197, 519 and 149 and 4th Avenue. South on Loop 197.
“If you are in an affected area, please stay indoors with all doors and windows closed, and turn off your heat or AC until further notice,” the city said. “Several intersections are closed and traffic is not allowed. Please avoid the area at this time.”
In a subsequent update, the city said it was continuing to closely monitor the situation: “At this time, there are no air monitoring readings indicating a risk to life or health.”
“There were no injuries. Air monitoring has been deployed in the community, and the city of Texas City has provided shelter to an area south of the refinery,” Marathon Petroleum Corp. said in an earlier statement.
“The safety of personnel and the public is our priority as we work to resolve the situation,” it added.
ABC News’ Vanessa Navarrete contributed to this report.
