La Porte shelter-in-place lifted after gas leak, 8 hospitalized due to exposure, officials say

LA PORTE, Texas (KTRK) -- A shelter-in-place has been lifted Monday afternoon following reports of a chemical emergency at a facility in La Porte, city officials said.

Although the city of La Porte's Office of Emergency Management reported no detectable amounts of hazardous products near or downwind of the Altivia facility, Judge Lina Hidalgo's office added that about eight people were hospitalized due to exposure.

"All were stable at the time of leaving the facility," Hidalgo posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

La Porte Office of Emergency Management officials added that the eight victims were from a different facility west of Altivia. They are reportedly being monitored.

The incident began at about 10:30 a.m. when Altivia, a La Porte Terminal that delivers shipments to the Ports of Houston and rail locations in the greater Houston area, initially reported they were "experiencing processing upset."

In an 11:20 a.m. update, the facility stated it was continuing to perform fence line monitoring.

It wasn't until about noon that La Porte issued the cautionary shelter in place, urging residents south of Fairmont between Bay Area and S. 16th Street to immediately head indoors at their nearest building.

The facility later confirmed it was a rupture of a pressure release device that resulted in the release of phosgene gas.

"At this time, there are indications from fence monitors that some vapors migrated across the facility's southern fence line and could impact the areas surrounding the facility to the south," the company said in a statement. "ALTIVIA's processes at its La Porte facility have been shut down and personnel are containing the release."

The facility said it would continue to perform fence line monitoring.

According to the Office of Emergency Management, the active leak involved phosgene gas, which is colorless with a suffocating odor.

Experts say exposure to the gas may irritate and dry the eyes, and cause burning throat, vomiting, cough, foamy sputum, breathing difficulty, and chest pain.

Those in the area were asked to close all doors and windows and turn off cooling or heating systems.

Fairmont has been reopened, but S. 16th Street remains closed.

SkyEye flew over the scene, where law enforcement surrounded the area and water was being sprayed.

Below are additional steps you can take to protect yourself if you are asked to shelter in place:

• Make sure all family members and pets are brought indoors. Lock the doors and close all windows, air vents, and fireplace dampers.

• If you're already inside, seek safety in the building you occupy. Find a small interior room, if possible, with few or no windows.

• Homeowners should turn off fans, air conditioning, and forced air heating systems.

• Avoid going outside or traveling in the area until the order is lifted.

• Stay informed of the situation, and local authorities will let you know when the shelter-in-place order has ended.