An explosion and fire rocked the Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur Monday night, sending towering plumes of black smoke into the sky, triggering a shelter-in-place order for thousands of nearby residents, and forcing the massive facility — one of the largest refineries in the United States — to shut down.
The Port Arthur Fire Department confirmed the incident at the Valero facility shortly after it occurred. Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens said the explosion may have involved a heater unit. Witnesses miles away reported hearing a loud boom that rattled windows and shook homes.
In a statement, Valero confirmed a fire in one of its units and said all personnel had been accounted for. The company said its emergency response team was on scene and coordinating with local authorities. As a precaution, Jefferson County officials closed State Highways 82 and 87 near the refinery. No injuries were reported by officials or Valero.
The shelter-in-place covered the west side of Port Arthur from Stilwell west, including Pleasure Island and Sabine Pass. Residents were told to stay indoors, keep windows and doors closed, and follow guidance from local officials. Sabine Pass ISD announced it would close Tuesday due to the incident, and Port Arthur Mayor Charlotte Moses said a group of children was temporarily stranded in Sabine Pass because school buses could not get through the road closures.
Both the Texas Department of Emergency Management and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality deployed personnel to the scene. TCEQ teams arrived with handheld and mobile air monitoring equipment and said they were coordinating through incident command, with updates to be shared as conditions developed.
The Port Arthur refinery is one of Valero's largest facilities, processing crude oil into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel at a rate of up to 435,000 barrels a day. The explosion comes at a sensitive moment for fuel markets, amid a spike in gas prices driven by global oil supply uncertainty. The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
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🚨#BREAKING: A shelter-in-place has been issued after a major explosion occurred at a refinery plant
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 24, 2026
📌#PortArthur | #Texas
At this time, numerous emergency crews are on the scene following a major explosion at a Valero refinery. Large flames are visible, with heavy smoke… pic.twitter.com/qr1EXdlie5
The Port Arthur Fire Department confirmed the incident at the Valero facility shortly after it occurred
