(40a) Fire at Formosa Plastics Point Comfort, Texas

This paper describes an explosion and fire in an olefins production unit located in Point Comfort, Texas. Sixteen employees were injured, one seriously. A shelter-in-place order was issued for the Point Comfort community, and the local elementary school was evacuated. The fire burned for 5 days. The paper describes the incident in detail and the factors that contributed to its severity.