Residents react to the Freeport LNG explosion, worry about 'nightmare scenario'

QUINTANA — Nearby residents of Quintana after the Freeport LNG explosion this week are “disturbed” by the events that took place.

Wednesday’s explosion about 11:40 a.m. at the Freeport LNG Quintana Plant was seen and felt by many on the island and Surfside, causing residents like Chet Davidson of Surfside to be concerned, he said.

“I always knew this was possible,” Davidson said. “There are risks all around us to worry about. Driving a car to Quintana is very likely riskier to me then being this close to that facility. I am sure they will learn from this. But yeah, I am bothered by it. Disturbed.”

Davidson saw the explosion, describing it as a “big ball of flame and then dissipating,” he said.

“I am 1.5 miles away and it’s hard to describe how big it was other than several hot air balloons worth altogether,” he said. “I was fascinated at first and a little scared after that, not knowing what was coming next. It is common for these flammable vapor cloud explosions to cause more damage and leaks and fire and explosions due to the shock waves from the first explosion.”

Despite concerns about what would happen after the explosion, Davidson was happy with how Freeport LNG responded, he said.

“I am very impressed that their safety systems and response immediately worked to prevent further problems,” Davidson said. “I have worked in and around the plants in this area and all around the world for 23 years, but I have only witnessed something like this twice.”

Former Quintana Mayor, Steve Alongis, believed that Freeport LNG handled the situation well, he said.

“Things happen. I’m just glad Freeport LNG responded so fast and took care of the situation,” he said. “They have their plan together really well. Hopefully, they figure out what went wrong and get it taken care of.”

Because of the number of safety regulations from the plant, Alongis was not worried about anything additional occurring, he said.

“With the way things are built in this day and age, there are real safety cautions. I stayed, and the reason why is, I’m more worried about falling down my stairs than them blowing up,” Alongis said. “I think it was truly an accident. I’m glad no one got hurt and it wasn’t worse than what it was.”

Other Quintana residents, such as Harold Doty, were less than impressed with how things were handled and thought more information should have been shared, he said.

“I think they handled it pretty much in their usual manner. They generally don’t give out any information they don’t have to,” Doty said. “Not at all (happy); we’ve been through this before they got their permit. The plant is built and it’s going to sit there. They’ll fix it and run it some more and it’ll blow up again.”

The explosion served as a wake-up call for future projects, such as SPOT and the Freeport LNG expansion, Davidson said.

“(Projects) and others need to be scrutinized for potential impact on life, property, and the environment,” he said. “There are chemical plants nearby that could be potentially damaged that have some harmful chemicals. That combined with the explosion leads to a nightmare scenario. All about risk and reward.”

The site will shut down while investigating the incident, Director of Corporate Communications Heather Browne said.

“The cause of yesterday’s fire at Freeport LNG’s liquefaction facility on Quintana Island remains under investigation,” she said. “The company’s liquefaction site remains shut down for a minimum of three weeks.”

Although employees are still required to report to work during this time, how the plant will operate during the three weeks is not being released, she said.

“Freeport LNG will not provide specifics on what operations will be affected,” Browne said. “We do not comment on commercial activity.”

The fire was contained to one area of the plant, and there was no risk to the public, Browne said. No employees or contractors were injured, and the situation was stabilized by late afternoon, she said.