Southeast Texas Plant Fire Injures Five Workers

A fire at plant in Southeast Texas that produces plastics has injured five workers.

The Victoria Advocate reports the fire Friday began in a tower at Formosa Plastics about 30 miles southeast of Victoria. Four of the workers were taken to a burn unit at a Houston hospital and the fifth to a hospital in Victoria. One later was released but the company declined to provide the names of the workers and their conditions Saturday were unknown.

They were conducting maintenance work on the tower in the polyethylene-II unit, which produces a polypropylene-based plastic pellet. It’s not clear what triggered the fire.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Friday’s incident.

An investigation also continues on a May 2 fire at Formosa that sent 14 people to hospitals.