{"id":100767,"date":"2025-11-17T23:12:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T23:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hildasibrian.com\/en\/?p=100767"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:37:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:37:32","slug":"bacliff-power-plant-fire-draws-emergency-response-shelter-in-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hildasibrian.com\/en\/blog\/bacliff-power-plant-fire-draws-emergency-response-shelter-in-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Bacliff Power Plant Fire Draws Emergency Response, Shelter-In-Place"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A major industrial fire<\/a> has burned through a section of the former P. H. Robinson Power Plant site in Bacliff, Texas, due to a fire that started November 16, 2025. The incident has drawn large emergency response teams from across<\/a> Galveston and Brazoria counties and raised community concerns due to the size of the smoke plume and the site\u2019s proximity to San Leon and the Galveston Bay shoreline. According to local reports, the fire began at approximately 2:30 a.m. inside a cluster of decommissioned water cooling towers located on a small artificial island within the former P. H. Robinson Power Plant property along Highway 146. Five cooling towers collapsed as the fire spread through dry structural materials, with the smoke plume visible for miles and detected on local radar.<\/p>

Firefighters have confirmed that the incident did not involve the active natural gas peaking units on the property and did not affect the nearby proposed desalination facility footprint. The burn area was confined to the older infrastructure that predates current operations. A shelter-in-place advisory was temporarily issued for portions of San Leon due to smoke drift. Galveston County health officials later reported no significant hazardous air readings. No injuries were reported. The main flames were extinguished by Sunday evening, though crews monitored hot spots into the next day.<\/p>

The Galveston County Sheriff\u2019s Office and the Texas City Fire Marshal\u2019s Office are investigating the cause, but no ignition source has yet been identified.<\/p>

Historical Background of the P. H. Robinson Power Plant<\/h2>

Original HL&P Steam Plant (1960s through 2000s)<\/h3>

Construction of the original power plant began in 1964 under Houston Lighting and Power Company. Known originally as the Bacliff Plant and later renamed the P. H. Robinson Plant, it consisted of four steam-powered generating units with a total capacity of approximately 2,200 MW. The facility included extensive water-cooling infrastructure, including cooling towers, intake channels, discharge canals, and a man-made island where part of the cooling system was placed.<\/p>

The steam plant was gradually shuttered around 2003 as modern natural gas facilities became more cost-efficient. Official decommissioning followed, and major demolition took place between 2009 and 2012. Portions of the original cooling system, including the island structures involved in the 2025 fire, remained in place.<\/p>

Known Past Incidents<\/h3>

Historical reporting shows at least one prior fire at the old facility. A Galveston County Daily News article from 2011 documented another significant blaze involving decommissioned structures. This confirms a pattern of fire risk associated with abandoned or partially demolished equipment at the former steam plant complex.<\/p>

Development of the PHR Peakers Gas Turbine Facility<\/h2>

During the 2010s, a new natural gas peaking facility was developed on land adjacent to the demolished plant. Based on public energy records:<\/p>