By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, July 9 -- An explosion and fire closed Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corp.'s 95,000-b/d refinery at Three Rivers, Tex., Monday.
Three persons were injured, two of which worked for contractors, but none of the injuries were believed to be serious.
A spokeswoman said the refinery operators received notice at 11:30 a.m. that a vapor release in the alkylation unit had caught fire. At 11:45 a.m. they ordered nearly 300 employees to evacuate.
City officials of Three Rivers, midway between Corpus Christi and San Antonio, ordered all homes evacuated within a 7-block radius of the refinery. The town has a population of about 2,000.
The fire was contained in the alkylation unit Monday afternoon but was still burning. The refinery's fire company and local volunteer fire departments were on hand.
UDS said it notified state and federal agencies of the accident. UDS officers from the company headquarters in San Antonio were on the scene.
The Three Rivers refinery primarily makes gasoline and diesel fuel.
