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Fire Crews Struggled To Put Out Chemical Fire In Midland
Fire Crews Struggled To Put Out Chemical Fire In Midland 6/29/12
Felicia Bolton
fbolton@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News Reporter
6/29/12
Midland, TX - Fire crews struggled for hours to control a chemical fire in Midland. Firemen said the flames possibly started because of hot temperatures.
The fire started around 3pm today at Chemplex, a chemical business, near interstate 20 and highway 158.
"It's so near those oil tanks over there. It's scary," said witness Rosa Enriquez.
Coming from I-20, the chemical fire luring behind the company was difficult to see. As the fire continued to burn, a strong chemical odor began to fill the air.
Midland firemen and police responded instantly, shutting down streets and dosing water to put out the fire.
"Right now… we’re just flooding it. We have some unmanned monitors out there that are flowing lots of water on it. There's no explosion hazard," said Midland Fire Department Marshal Jeff Meiner.
Midland firemen said the flames were difficult to combat, because the chemicals involved do not react well to water. They said the chemicals, ammonium per-sulfate and sodium per-sulfate, are carcinogens and can cause a respiratory allergic reaction.
"The other three containers have anywhere from 2100 pounds to 4700 pounds of this chemical. So we are really trying hard not to involve these chemicals," said Meiner.
After several hours of fighting the flames, the Midland Fire department finally put out the chemical fire. Midland Fire Department Marshal Jeff Meiner said no injuries have been reported.