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The big, black plume of smoke visible in many areas of El Paso Tuesday morning was caused by gas flaring at the Marathon Petroleum oil refinery in East Central El Paso.
“Flares are safety systems that allow the safe combustion of materials in the event of unexpected operating conditions,” V.J. Smith, a spokesman for the refinery, said in an email.
Smith declined to specify what problem resulted in the flaring, which sent black smoke into the air for about 20 minutes beginning around 10:40 a.m.
“The flares are functioning properly and the refinery has deployed air-monitoring resources in areas adjacent to the refinery as a precaution," Smith said. "There is no indication of any off-site impact.”