On April 6, 2010, a fire broke out inside the 100-J compressor in the ultracracker unit at BP’s Texas City refinery. Engineers at the facility responded by burning off gases through an emergency flare that lasted for 40 days, during which thousands of pounds of various chemicals – including benzene, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide – were released into the air. A lawsuit filed on behalf of nearby residents and refinery workers seeks more than $500 million in damages for health problems allegedly caused by exposure to chemicals released during the April-May 2010 flare and in other release incidents.