Deer Park ordered residents to shelter in place Tuesday, Nov. 10, after a chemical incident at the Lubrizol plant sent emergency alerts across the Houston Ship Channel industrial corridor about 14 direct-line miles north of League City.
The city issued the order at about 6:50 p.m. after classifying the event as a Level 3 incident, meaning its effects extended beyond the facility's boundaries, KHOU reported. A chemical odor had been detected at the plant around 6:20 p.m. through the Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER) system, according to Fox 26.
Harris County Public Health identified the release as hydrogen sulfide, known as H2S, in a post on X. Fox 26 and other outlets reported the specific chemical had not been identified. Lubrizol and Deer Park emergency management had not confirmed the substance as of the city's last update.
Lubrizol said in a statement to Fox 26 around 8:30 p.m. that crews were responding to an incident at the company's 41 Tidal Road facility. The company said the incident occurred during maintenance on an idled unit and that it was coordinating with local authorities.
As of an 8:07 p.m. update from the Deer Park Office of Emergency Management, the shelter-in-place remained in effect and air monitoring was underway, according to the office's post on X. Officials had not released information about injuries or said when the order would be lifted, ABC 13 reported.
A Deer Park spokesperson told KPRC 2 that officials could not determine how widespread the incident might be and were awaiting more information from Lubrizol.
Neighboring cities respond
La Porte, Pasadena and several industrial operators along the Ship Channel took precautions.
La Porte said no action was required for its residents. The city's statement, reported by Fox 26, said winds were coming from the southeast, directing released material away from La Porte. The La Porte Fire Department deployed crews along the Deer Park boundary for continuous air monitoring.
Pasadena's fire department took similar steps along its shared boundary with Deer Park, also citing southeast winds, according to Fox 26.
KHOU meteorologist Trevor Birchett, by contrast, reported winds in the Deer Park area moving from the northwest at three to five miles per hour. The reason for the discrepancy with the La Porte and Pasadena wind reports is unclear.
Intercontinental Terminals Company, Pemex and Shell Chemical Company also issued warnings related to the chemical odor, the Houston Chronicle reported.
What residents were told to do
Deer Park's emergency alert told people to go indoors, close all doors and windows, and turn off heating and cooling systems. Officials urged residents to keep phone lines open for emergency updates and to rely on official city channels.
What is a Level 3 incident?
Under Deer Park's classification system, a Level 1 incident is contained within a facility. A Level 2 could affect the surrounding community. A Level 3 means the effects have extended beyond the facility, according to KHOU.
Lubrizol's Deer Park plant manufactures chemical additives used in motor oil, transmission fluid, gear oil, grease and fuels. The site has operated since 1951, according to the company. Deer Park officials said another update would be issued once additional verified information became available from incident command.
