'It was scary': Mont Belvieu officials say plant incident injured 3; residents felt buildings shake

MONT BELVIEU, Texas (KTRK) -- At least three people were hurt in a fire incident at a plant in Mont Belvieu on Monday, according to officials.

The City of Mont Belvieu said the incident happened at about 11 a.m. at the ONEOK industrial facility near SH-146.

Authorities said that despite the incident, there was no immediate threat to the public, and all staff members were accounted for, with only three minor injuries reported.

ONEOK issued the following statement on Monday afternoon:

"We are aware of a fire at our Mont Belvieu, Texas, facility. Safety is a core value at ONEOK, and we appreciate the quick response of local emergency responders. The fire was quickly extinguished. All personnel are accounted for, and the facility is now stabilized. We will conduct a thorough investigation into the cause and resume operations when it is safe to do so."

The Mont Belvieu Fire Department and police department responded to the scene. SkyEye was overhead as crews rushed to put out the flames and spray parts of the facility.

People in the area told ABC13 they felt the buildings shake.

It takes a lot to rattle Nathan Cernosek. He's the manager at Hill Lumber, which he says has served Mont Belvieu for 39 years.

"A pretty good rumble, like a bad thundershower," Cernosek said. "We went outside just to see if something might have hit a forklift or whatnot."

It was a blast so intense that worker Stephany Juarez says a clock flew off the wall at Lercy's Diner.

"We just felt the building shake, and we quickly ran outside and we (saw) there was an explosion out there. Most of our customers come from the plant, so we were very worried," Juarez said. "It was just black smoke, and we (saw) ambulances coming by. It was scary."

ONEOK didn't respond to ABC13's questions about how and where the fire started, but a spokesperson did say an investigation is ongoing. Records indicate that the company has been cited for its wastewater discharge in the past four quarters, whereas OSHA records show no violations.

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