Officials say a large explosion at an oil refinery near the Texas coast has shot plumes of smoke into the air and forced nearby residents to shelter in place. Mayor Charlotte M. Moses says no one was injured in the explosion at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur. The explosion comes amid a spike in gas prices driven by uncertainty over the global oil supply because of the Iran war. Valero's website says the refinery has about 770 employees and can process about 435,000 barrels of oil per day. The plant refines heavy sour crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
