Flames engulfed a plastic business near Dallas on Wednesday, sending plumes of toxic smoke across the skies of northern Texas and threatening to knock out power in the area, authorities said.
A power line, possibly damaged in recent storms, fell in a storage area of the Poly-America factory in Grand Prairie, hitting the massive light at midnight, said Grand Prairie assistant firefighter Bill Murphy.
“Our biggest problem is, this is a lot of plastic,” Murphy told NBC Dallas. “It’s burning a lot.”
The fire, which is located about 20 miles west of downtown Dallas, could last for several days.
“You had to have a lot of shoes to put it on,” Murphy said. “There just isn’t enough shoe to put this size of a fire.”
Local and state environmental authorities advised the scene to conduct air quality tests.
“Persons with underlying conditions should prevent the area or even evacuate if necessary,” according to a statement from the fire department.
Resident Hector Rodrigues said he could not believe his eyes as he witnessed the massive blow.
“Flames shot up, probably about 300, 400, 500 feet up in the air,” he said. “It just kept burning.”
Murphy warned suburban residents west of Dallas to support possible power outages.
“It’s not a matter of if, but when, they (adjacent streamlines) fall into place,” Murphy said. “It can have a domino effect. Once gone, it could pull all the lines down to a maximum of half a mile.”
But Oncor Electric Delivery Company (ONCOR) suggested it was able to close lines near the fire and divert power to new homes and businesses. By late Wednesday afternoon, only 30 customers were in the area in the dark, ONCOR spokeswoman Kerri Dunn said.
No immediate injuries were reported.
