Multiple hazmat crews responded to a fire at an industrial facility on Tuesday afternoon in Southeast Fort Worth that reportedly injured one person.
Initial reports stated that 55-gallon drums at a facility in the 5400 block of Wilbarger Street had exploded on August 30. Firefighters later said the fire was the result of a flash fire.
The person who was hurt was rushed by CareFlite, a helicopter air ambulance company, to the Parkland Memorial Hospital burn unit, one of the largest civilian burn units in the nation.
Firefighters hosed down the area and distributed absorbent pads to keep chemical runoff from getting into nearby drainage systems.
“Our hazardous materials team is on scene, with our fire investigators searching for the cause, and to contain any environmental issues,” fire officials said, adding that the situation was under control.
Though firefighters described the incident as a flash fire, they have not reported what specifically sparked the fire.
Thus far in 2022, nearly 600,000 acres have burned across Texas, most from more than 6,900 wildfires. Firefighters and fire crews have had little time to rest as a summer of record high triple-digit heat makes their jobs more perilous.
Firefighting teams have been forced to rely on extra resources. Currently, close to 1,000 firefighters from 40 states are on the ground in Texas to assist the Forest Service, alongside career and volunteer departments.
Burn bans are in place in all but 30 Texas counties. Fire crews are prepared for the worst given current conditions, the driest conditions since 2011, when an unprecedented 4 million acres were burned statewide.