Deb Nolshoudary

It is an important asset when it comes to balancing the market at a time where supply is being impacted by the Strait of Hormuz shutdown.

The Valero refinery handles more than 350,000 barrels a day.

It supplies diesel locally to the Gulf Coast.

as well as to the Northeast and Midwest via pipeline, the refinery's diesel and gasoline sometimes gets shipped to Europe and Latin America.

That's Deb Nolshoudary, head of fuels and refining for S&P Global for North America, Latin America, and Europe.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

It's unclear how long the refinery will be offline.

Julia Simon, NPR News, Houston.