Houston News

Chemical fires that began Sunday morning at the International Terminals Company tank farm were extinguished around 3 a.m. today, the company has reported. But with re-ignition still a possibility, firefighters continue to apply foam and water to help in the cool down and area school districts are still taking precautions. According to ITC:  “No serious injuries have been reported as …

Thanks to the number of tanks on fire decreasing from seven to four on Tuesday, firefighters at the ITC plant in Deer Park were better able to go on the offensive and extinguish the remaining flames early Wednesday morning, ITC spokeswoman Alice Richardson said at a Wednesday morning press conference. Though the fires have been put out, precautions are being …

 Houston ISD has just released this statement: “With reports of the Deer Park industrial fire re-igniting this afternoon, all on-campus activities for east area HISD campuses this weekend have been cancelled. Also, sporting events have been rescheduled at alternate locations.”  ITC has just reported that tanks on the west side of the containment area have re-ignited. Workers were at the …

One week after their Deer Park plant caught on fire and released chemical vapors into the surrounding neighborhoods, ITC officials held another press conference Saturday morning to review their latest setbacks and outline what they’ll do next. At 3:45 p.m. Friday, tanks 80-2, 80-3 and 80-5 containing a gas blend and xylene re-ignited. Flames were put out about an hour …

As the fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park continues to burn, the thick, black smoke billowing into the Houston sky is reminiscent of similar blazes past. Over the years, there have been quite a few fires, explosions and other incidents at Houston-area facilities, including the Deer Park fire that started Sunday, and an apparently unrelated chemical plant fire …

A portion of the Houston Ship Channel remained closed Saturday as the U.S. Coast Guard attempts to determine what amount of volatile chemicals have leaked from fire-damaged Intercontinental Terminals Co. tanks into the waterway that serves as an economic engine for the region. Test results published by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Saturday afternoon confirmed what officials feared — …

Wealth has a strong bearing on how safe your community is, according to a recent study. The new numbers from SafeWise, a research company specializing in home security and safety products, use federal crime data to calculate a safety ranking of the most populous cities and suburbs in Texas. The ranking also includes median income levels, and there appears to be a …

Houston police arrested 35 drivers on felony alcohol charges during the month of February, a drop from 50 reported the previous month, according to records obtained by Chron.com. Some were charged with driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle, and many were charged with their third DWI. Driving while intoxicated in Texas is typically a misdemeanor on the …

It’s called the “Festival of Love.” Houston’s annual Holi Festival celebrates the start of springtime in Texas, and it’s one of the biggest festivals in the U.S. Holi Festival-goers danced, chanted, clapped and cheered to ring in springtime in Texas. MORNING UPDATES: Get all the news you need to know to start your day The Hindu festival of Holi began on …

Harris County deputies say that a driver involved in a major crash said he had been drinking alcohol right before the accident. The crash occurred at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday morning on the 9100 block of Shoal Creek Drive. Deputies say that the 23-year-old male driver who struck the other car was traveling at a high rate of speed on …