No injuries after explosion reported at Texas LNG facility

QUINTANA, Texas (AP) — No injuries were reported Wednesday after what police initially described as an explosion at a liquefied natural gas terminal in Southeast Texas.

Freeport LNG reported that “an incident” occurred around 11:40 a.m. at its facility in Quintana along the Texas Gulf Coast, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Houston.

The Surfside Beach Police Department said the facility had experienced “some sort of explosion,” but no evacuation orders had been issued.

Aerial footage from Houston television stations showed water being poured in one area at the terminal emitting white smoke, but there was no sign of an active fire.

All employees at the facility were accounted for, Houston-based Freeport LNG said in a statement. “There is no risk to the surrounding community. The incident investigation will continue,” said the company, one of the largest U.S. exporters of liquefied natural gas, or LNG.