Valero outage prompts new shelter-in-place order

  TEXAS CITY, TX (KTRK) -- Texas City police confirm a new shelter-in-place has been issued around the Valero plant after a power outage. Just hours earlier, Texas City residents were being asked to shelter-in-place as a precaution after the entire BP plant lost power.

Texas City police said the new order was issued around 5:30am. The Texas City Office of Emergency has confirmed that Texas City ISD has canceled classes today due to the power outages.

As for the first power loss and shelter-in-place, BP officials tell us their Texas City refinery and chemical plant lost power around 10:55pm. The site immediately called the city and declared a Level 3 emergency. The city had called for a shelter-in-place for its residents, which was lifted at around 3am.

BP decided to burn off excess material when the refinery lost power. It's still not clear what caused the power loss.

According to BP officials, there was a small fire on one of the pipestills right after the electrical incident occurred. BP's fire department responded and quickly extinguished the fire.

Plant officials don't know why the plant lost its power, but it did shut down every unit, Texas City Spokesman George Fuller said. Meanwhile, heavy flares shot into the sky for a burn off.

No evacuations were ordered for nearby residents. There are no reported injuries at this time. The site has also initiated environmental monitoring in areas around the refinery and has shared results with city leaders on an ongoing basis. The cause of the incident remains under review. There were no injuries reported. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

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