Incident Report

Subject:              Multi-Chem reports fire at Louisiana storage site, no one injured        

Date of Email report:   Mon 20/06/2011

Report Detail:

Multi-Chem reported a fire that spread to storage containers at its New Iberia oilfield chemicals site in Louisiana . Multi-Chem said it contacted local and state authorities who are coordinating the emergency response. The company accounted for all facility personnel and there were no injuries reported.

Multi-Chem reported a fire that spread to storage containers at its New Iberia oilfield chemicals site in Louisiana at 3:40 p.m. local time on Tuesday.  Multi-Chem said it contacted local and state authorities who are coordinating the emergency response. The company accounted for all facility personnel and there were no injuries reported. “We are very grateful that there were no serious injuries in this situation, but we do regret that the incident caused an evacuation among the immediate area and concern among the local community,” the company said in a statement. To ensure safety of local and facility personnel, local authorities ordered an evacuation of the nearby area (one mile radius) and made a request to some residents to remain indoors.

Multi-Chem’s emergency management team is on site assisting authorities with logistics, communications and plans to expedite environmental mitigation and remediation, the company said. Additional Multi-Chem personnel are on site to provide continued support to local and state authorities and resources necessary to recover from the incident. Multi-Chem has marshaled all of its third party resources to respond to the incident (this included Williams Fire & Hazard Personnel) , it said. Initial and continuous air monitoring conducted by Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality demonstrated that emissions, downwind, and within the evacuation parameters, remained at safe levels. Air monitoring is being conducted at five different locations and will continue to be ongoing. 

We are relieved that we quickly accounted for all personnel and that quick response prevented any injuries to local or facility personnel.  At this time, we do not know the cause of the fire. Multi-Chem is conducting a complete and thorough investigation and will cooperate fully with local and state authorities.  Multi-Chem has conducted business in New Iberia for years and will continue to be dedicated to this area and surrounding communities, it said. Multi-Chem is a global oilfield production chemicals company serving the global energy market. The company is headquartered in San Angelo, Texas, with a research and development facility in Houston and offices and operations around the world

Additional Documentation: