EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 The strong odor that caused concern in South Central El Paso neighborhoods near the Marathon Petroleum refinery late Tuesday night was caused by liquid hydrocarbons that were released, according to County Commissioner David Stout.<\/p>\n
Stout told KFOX14\/CBS4 that county leaders learned on Wednesday that the liquid hydrocarbons were released from one of the oil plant’s storage tanks, which caused sulfur odors.<\/p>\n
Residents living close to the refinery said the smell was overwhelming, causing nausea, headaches, and throat pain. <\/p>\n
Speaking to KFOX14\/CBS4, one resident said they had to take their dogs and evacuate their home for the remainder of the night. <\/p>\n
Rosario Quintanilla, who also lives on E. Yandell Drive near the oil plant, has lived in Central El Paso since 1970 and said she noticed strong odors of oil last night.<\/p>\n
I said, what’s that smell? It’s so strong I can’t even breathe. That’s what I told him. It’s like petroleum or something, something very strong.<\/p>\n
Marathon refinery officials said trained professionals responded to the alerts, identified the source, and addressed the situation. <\/p>\n
The refinery also said air monitoring was deployed as a precaution, but it did not detect any readings indicating health risks.<\/p>\n
Paulina Carr reports on Hydrocarbon release at Marathon refinery causes Sulphur odors (Credit: KFOX14)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: Gas odor in central El Paso traced to Marathon Petroleum refinery<\/a><\/p>\n David Stout, who represents the area where the refinery is located, said he wants better systems in place, more transparency and accountability from the refinery.<\/p>\n Monitors in the neighborhood, monitors on the fence line, and just more accountability. If these types of things continue to happen, and they cannot contain these instances, then we need to talk about what’s next in removing the refinery from this area.<\/p>\n According to Stout, nearly an hour and a half after the first reports of the smell surfaced, his office received notice that the refinery was responding to odors in the surrounding area.<\/p>\n \u201cI am deeply concerned, not only regarding the incident that occurred last night at the refinery, but also with the lack of information and transparency provided to local officials who represent the area, and especially the residents who live nearby. This incident did not only affect people living in the immediate vicinity of Marathon; strong odors were also reported in neighborhoods as far north as Five Points and Manhattan Heights, and nobody knew what was happening,” Stout said. <\/p>\n Some residents like Irma Gallegos remain worried about their health.<\/p>\n You couldn’t even breathe, you could not even breathe, I think it’s not right. If they do that, they need to take care of the environment.<\/p>\n When reached for comment, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told KFOX14\/CBS4 that the incident is being investigated by the El Paso Local Air Program. <\/p>\n “TCEQ contracts with the local air program in this area. The incident is being investigated by the El Paso Local Air Program and is ongoing. Once the investigation is complete, the report will be available through the TCEQ\u2019s public database, Investigation Reports on Demand,” a TCEQ spokesperson said. <\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: TxDOT seeks feedback for Border Highway East Corridor<\/a><\/p>\n