Texas plant worker found dead at blast site

HOUSTON — The remains of a contract worker have been found one day after an explosion and fire at a Houston-area petroleum plant left him missing.

A Turner Industries statement issued Wednesday night said Richard Shaw died in the Tuesday fire at the Enterprise Products plant. He was found about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Shaw was at the site when a pipeline failed Tuesday at the Enterprise Products storage plant in Mont Belvieu, said Mike Phelps, a spokesman for Baton Rouge, La.-based plant contractor Turner Industries.

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Turner Industries' statement quoted CEO Roland Toups as extending the company's "sympathy and condolences to the Shaw family." He called Shaw "a dedicated employee."

Relatives of Shaw told the Houston Chronicle he was divorced with two daughters, ages 13 and 9.

"He's always working real hard, working double-time and overtime shifts for his kids so he can take them places," Sahw's brother, Mark, told the Houston Chronicle. "His two kids are like his world."

Crews cut off the fuel source that was feeding the blaze Wednesday morning, said Enterprise Products spokesman Rick Rainey. The storage area was closed as officials assessed the damage.

Rainey said the cause of the explosion remained under investigation, but possible pipeline failure would be considered. He has said workers heard a hissing sound before the blast.

The processing facilities that comprise the bulk of the complex in Mont Belvieu, about 30 miles west of Houston, have continued operating, Rainey said.