US petrol prices have risen after a key network of pipelines was shut in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, sparking fears of a squeeze on fuel supplies to major US cities.
The hurricane has already forced the closure of nearly a quarter of US oil refining capacity.
Colonial Pipeline said it was closing its pipelines delivering diesel, petrol and aviation fuel to the North East.
European traders are scrambling to provide additional supplies.
The threat of a fuel supply crunch has grown as key infrastructure is paralysed by the storm; Colonial’s announcement indicates the knock-on effects are growing.
The firm’s network of pipelines is the country’s largest supply system, taking refined fuel from the Gulf of Mexico to consumers in major US cities including New York, Atlanta and Washington DC. The company did not given any indication when the pipelines might reopen.
Earlier, black smoke was seen issuing from the Arkema chemical plant at Crosby.
A police officer who was helping secure the site was taken to hospital after inhaling fumes, while nine others admitted themselves as a precaution.
Arkema said this was believed to have been caused by a “non-toxic irritant”.
Harris County sheriff Ed Gonzales said the release was not believed to have been a result of an explosion, despite earlier reports of blasts.
Residents living within a 1.5-mile (2.4km) radius of the plant were evacuated after the company warned there was a risk of explosions and fire.
During heavy rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, the complex lost the ability to refrigerate chemical compounds that need to be kept cool.
In an earlier statement, Arkema said: “At approximately 2am CDT [07:00 GMT], we were notified by the Harris County Emergency Operations Center of two explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema Inc plant in Crosby, Texas.
“We want local residents to be aware that product is stored in multiple locations on the site, and a threat of additional explosion remains.
“Please do not return to the area within the evacuation zone until local emergency response authorities announce it is safe to do so.”
At least 33 people have been killed in eastern Texas in the aftermath of the storm, which the US National Weather Service has now downgraded to a tropical depression.
Heavy rainfall is expected from Louisiana to Kentucky over the next three days, and flood warnings remain in effect for south-east Texas and parts of south-west Louisiana.
US energy supplies have been hit, as oil companies shut down refineries and a major pipeline in the Houston area. -BBC
