ST ROSE, La. — Emergency officials in St. Charles Parish say first responders are fighting a fire at the International-Matex Tank Terminals facility in St. Rose.
The Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said it is on-site and monitoring a fire at the facility. There are reportedly no offsite impacts to residents, officials say.
The IMTT sent out a statement saying that they are investigating the cause of the fire, which is impacting an out-of-service aboveground tank. They said two contractors were injured and are being treated at a local hospital. IMTT said that all personnel on-site are accounted for.
According to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality a 250,000-barrel crude oil tank, with residuals in it, was being worked on when the fire started. The state agency reports no issues with the structural integrity of the tank.
The railroad was also shut down as a safety precaution.
We’ve reported on St Rose residents' health concerns previously. Back in 2014 residents told Eyewitness News they smelt a strong, gas-like odor coming from a nearby plant and it was making them sick.
Resident Randy Dorsey, who’s also a former IMTT employee says his family’s health is of the utmost importance. Eyewitness News reporter Eleanor Tabone asked him if he's concerned about his health living here.
“Sure! I want to know, I got my grandkids, I got three adult daughters and me and my wife, so when they play and they play in the park and play in front of my house,” he said.
St Charles Parish says they don’t anticipate impacts to the community. The company is investigating the cause of the fire.
According to the company's website, IMTT's St. Rose terminal handles bulk liquid handling, including petrochemical products, vegetable oils, and commodity chemicals like alcohol, methanol, and ethanol. The facility includes 207 tanks which have a capacity of 16.3 million barrels.
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