Chron: Harris County Sues Exxon Mobil over ‘Illegal’ Emissions Release After Baytown Refinery Fire

The day before a fire erupted at a Deer Park tank farm, sending thick, billowing smoke over Houston that could be seen for days, a separate blaze had started in a furnace at the Exxon Mobil Corp.’s Baytown refinery and extinguished hours later.

The Exxon Mobil fire drew little media attention as crews worked for days to put out a blaze 12 miles away at the Intercontinental Terminals Co. plant in Deer Park. But Harris County environmental officials say the Baytown refinery fire was not a benign event, and a report to the state shows that it in fact it released toxic pollutants into the air for eight days.