Employee killed in Marathon Petroleum fire died from burns, smoke inhalation, medical examiner says
TEXAS CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- Officials have determined the cause of death of a worker in Monday's fire at the Marathon petroleum facility in Texas City.
The medical examiner's office said Scott Higgins died from burns and smoke inhalation, ruling his death as accidental.
"We are deeply saddened to report that a Marathon employee has passed away as a result of the fire today at Marathon Petroleum's Galveston Bay refinery," a company statement sent on Monday read. "We extend our deepest sympathies to our employee's family, friends and co-workers, and our thoughts are with them as we all mourn his passing. The safety of our workers and the community is our top priority, and a full investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident."
The family's attorney shared an image of Higgins.
The statement came hours after Texas City police had said the fire was under control and contained.
According to Marathon, the fire started at approximately 9:30 a.m., though what sparked the flames is unclear.
ORIGINAL REPORT: 1 Marathon Petroleum employee dies in Texas City refinery fire, company says
Texas City police added that no shelter in place was needed and there was no threat to the community, but air monitoring was conducted as a precaution.
Residents who live within a mile of the plant voiced frustrations Monday with the city's lack of communication about the incident, with one woman saying she found out through ABC13's website.
The Texas City Emergency Management Department has a free text alert system that is advertised on its website as being able to provide those who sign up with "critical information quickly in a variety of situations." However, some say they didn't receive any notification despite signing up for emergency alert texts.
ABC13 reached out to several people in Texas City's Emergency Management Department to find out why a text was not sent out through the alert system. Texas City officials said since the public did not need to shelter in place or evacuate, they did not use the emergency notification system.
"Although the emergency notification system was not used in this incident because no public action was needed, moving forward, to ensure the comfort level of our community, we will push out messages through the system to let the public know they are safe and that no action is needed," the department's statement read, in part.
The city did, however, post about it on social media.
A report revealed that a pump leak may have caused the deadly fire. Officials said "Naphtha" was burning in the fire -- which is used to make cleaning solutions or varnishes. Experts ABC13 spoke to said a shelter-in-place should have been issued.
The cause of the fire will be determined after a full investigation, officials said.
