DEER PARK, Texas – A newly released report is shedding some haunting light on last year’s deadly chemical release at the PEMEX plant in Deer Park.
Back in October 2024, two people were killed and 35 other people were treated for hydrogen sulfide, a deadly gas, which also sparked a shelter-in-place order and shut down sections of Highway 225.
Recommended Videos
CLOSER LOOK: Deer Park’s emergency alert system failed during deadly PEMEX gas leak; here’s what we know
While the investigation into how everything unfolded is still ongoing, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) shared an update about the two workers who were killed trying to escape moments after they opened the wrong portion of a pipe holding the deadly gas.
“Wearing supplied-air respirators and without personal hydrogen sulfide gas detectors, the two Repcon boilermakers may have been unaware of a hydrogen sulfide leak,” the report noted.
According to the City of Deer Park, the CodeRED alert system they use to notify residents of emergencies experienced technical difficulties that day. Some residents received incorrect or duplicate messages, while others didn’t receive any alerts at all. This was echoed by a city spokesperson after the accident, who declined to go on camera, to KPRC 2 Investigates reporter Joel Eisenbaum.
Since that fateful October, workers have filed lawsuits against the oil refinery for injuries suffered and the CSB has continued investigating what happened.
“This is a very serious incident that caused multiple fatalities and injuries and potentially put the surrounding community at risk,” CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said back in October.
RELATED: Harris County Commissioner Garcia calls out PEMEX’s response in deadly gas leak
In the CSB’s recently released investigative report, it’s revealed that the two workers who died from the gas leak were about 250 feet away from the release moments before the leak.
“The two boilermakers disconnected their supplied air connections to flee from the area,” the report read. “One boilermaker turned the valve to engage air flow from his escape cylinder and proceeded down a nearby ladder to the primary assembly point. The other boilermaker collapsed near the top of the ladder and was found by emergency responders with his respirator mask lying next to him, fatally injured from hydrogen sulfide poisoning.”
The report went on to note “PEMEX Deer Park did not require the ISC workers to wear respiratory protection for their permitted work, and they did not have escape respirators.”
CSB concluded its update noting the investigation remains ongoing and are working to gather additional facts and analyze several key areas including “safe work practices, human factors, turnaround and maintenance policies and procedures.”
Here’s a full view of the updated investigative report.
