Fire Contained at Dow Chemical Plant in Freeport; No Injuries Reported

A fire that broke out Monday, October 6 at the Dow Chemical plant in Freeport has been contained. Officials say all employees have been accounted for. No injuries have been reported yet, and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

Industrial Fire in Freeport: What Happened

The fire began at the facility’s Plant B, located on Brazosport Boulevard near the Nolan Ryan Expressway. Nearby residents reported hearing what sounded like an explosion shortly before response teams arrived.

In a statement, Dow Texas Operations confirmed that the fire was confined to a single section of the facility and did not spread beyond the plant block. “Our community may continue to see smoke or hear emergency responding vehicles,” the company said. “All employees have been accounted for. There is nothing required of our community at this time.”

According to its website, Dow’s Texas Operations facility in Freeport is the company’s largest integrated site, covering roughly 7,000 acres. It produces nearly half of Dow’s U.S. products and about 20% of its global output.

Calm Weather Conditions in Freeport Keep Smoke Under Control

Officials noted that calm weather conditions helped keep the situation under control. With light winds of about 5 to 8 miles per hour, the smoke was able to rise vertically instead of drifting across nearby neighborhoods, a scenario experts described as ideal for minimizing potential health risks.

Multiple Industrial Fires in Southeast Texas

This marks the second industrial fire in Southeast Texas on Monday. Earlier in the day, an explosion and fire at the ONEOK plant in Mont Belvieu sent three workers to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The cause of the fire at Dow’s Freeport plant remains under investigation.