Death Toll in Texas Blast Rises to 15 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Government investigators remain on the scene of a fatal plant explosion at a South Texas Oil Refinery. The investigators are trying to find out what caused the blast that killed 15 people and injured 100 others.

The explosion ripped through the BP Oil Refinery in Texas City on Wednesday afternoon. The victims were employed by a contractor and were performing maintenance work on a unit that enhances gasoline octane when the blast went off.

"It's clear we have a lot of work to do in the coming days to understand what happened, and we're gonna do that. We're gonna put all of our resources into it," said Ross Pillari, President of BP America

Meanwhile, survivors of the blast are reflecting on how dangerous the job is each and every day. "It's the nature of the beast for us. I mean, everyday we walk in the plant it's, you notice that, one time it could happen to us too," said Michael Hale, a Refinery Worker.

An explosion at the same plant last September killed two employees.

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