La Porte chemical fire continues to burn, but officials say no public health concerns

LA PORTE, Texas - The number of tanks on fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company has gone from seven to six.

The tank no longer burning was empty.

Responders continue to work with foam and water to prevent the fire from spreading.

The cause of this massive blaze is unknown.

Company officials say they are making progress on extinguishing the fires still burning in three tanks that contain chemical and gas components.

"These are intermittent, so they flare up and go back down, so we are making some headway with the fire," said Alice Richardson, spokesperson for Intercontinental Terminals Company.

"We've been hearing concerns. This is now making its way across the county," said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Harris County has opened its emergency operation center and is monitoring the situation closely.

"Right now, what we're seeing is no elevated levels, because the plume is high enough that it's not affecting us close to the ground," Hidalgo said.

The wind county officials say has kept the plume high enough to not harm the public. But what happens if that changes?

"If that plume were to come down, we are ready to let the community know that is happening and to inform the community of the risk and any action they may need to take," said Hidalgo.

"The good news in the situation we're dealing with is we are not looking at any significant weather changes," said Jeff Lindner, the meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District.

Everyone should continue to monitor the situation.