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Title: Outage Closes Valero

Neighbors Urged to Remain Indoors

Thursday, April 13, 2000

By Sara Lee Fernandez Caller-Times George Tuley/Caller-Times

Valero Refining Co. lost power about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, and crews shut down the plant, creating large flares that could be seen for miles. A spokesman for the company said that the plant had been safely shut down and that crews should begin investigating the cause of the outage. Officials were unsure how long the shut down would last.

Valero Refining Co. lost power Wednesday night and crews shut down the plant, creating large flares that could be seen for miles. Nearby residents were urged to stay inside because of the flaring at the plant, 5900 Up River Road, said Bob Grimes, Valero spokesman. "About 9:30 p.m. we had complete power failure," Grimes said while he sat in a dark Valero office with a flashlight and an emergency telephone. "The plant has been safely shut down."

Grimes said crews were going though standard emergency procedures to ensure everything is shut down properly. As soon as the shutdown and checks were complete, officials would begin investigating the cause of the power failure, he said. Grimes said that security officers at the plant notified the city's 911 dispatch center about the flaring, which is required during a plant shutdown. At the same time the Community Alert Network system was activated, which is standard procedure during an emergency.

Police were called around 9:50 p.m. about a possible release or ground flare, said Robert Klemp, a lieutenant with the Corpus Christi Police Department. No injuries were reported, and police were called to the area to control traffic, he said. "The officers going to area were told it looked like a building on fire," Klemp said. A firefighter with the Refinery Terminal Fire Co. said that people often mistake the ground flare for a fire. Grimes said that it could be anywhere from a day to a week before the plant was back in operation. Staff writer Darren Barbee contributed to this report. Staff writer Sara Lee Fernandez can be reached at 886-3767 or by e-mail at fernandezs@caller.com

http://www.caller.com/2000/april/13/today/local_ne/4921.html

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), April 13, 2000