Chemical fires that broke out Tuesday night at the Prime Eco Inc. chemical manufacturing plant reignited Wednesday morning after being seemingly extinguished by responding firefighters.
Aug. 3, 2022Updated: Aug. 3, 2022 10:33 a.m.
A chemical fire at a Wharton chemical manufacturing plant sparked a massive response from county and area firefighters on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Wharton Police DepartmentFlames that burned for nearly eight hours overnight at a Wharton, Texas chemical manufacturing plant reignited Wednesday morning, according to a KHOU 11 report.
The fire initially began around 10 p.m. Tuesday night at the facilities of Prime Eco Inc., a manufacturer of oil drilling and fracking solutions and materials. ABC 13 reported large smoke clouds were seen before the blaze followed by two loud booms and engulfing flames. The blaze led to a shelter-in-place order for residents living near the facility and the closing of a stretch of State Highway 60. Residents sheltering in place were asked to turn off their air conditioning and close their fireplace dampers.
A Facebook post by the Wharton Volunteer Fire Department stated the chemical agents on fire at the plant included hand sanitizer and fuel stabilizer. The Wharton Police Department posted photos of the blaze as it burned overnight.
Firefighters from Wharton County and the surrounding area, as well as a Fort Bend County HazMat team responded to the blaze. Officials reported the fire was mostly out after burning for eight hours.
"Our selfless area fire fighters have almost got the fire extinguished at the Prime ECO Group on SH60, and it is under control at this point," Wharton County Police wrote in a 1 a.m. Facebook post. "Thank you to the Wharton VFD, Boling VFD, Hungerford VFD, Glen Flora VFD, El Campo VFD, East Bernard VFD, Needville VFD, Fort Bend Co Haz-Mat and the Bay City VFD for their tireless efforts and success at saving adjacent buildings and warehouses. You guys rocked tonight!"
On Wednesday morning around 7 a.m., however, flames reignited at the facility, according to KHOU. Officials lifted the shelter in place order around 1 a.m. and it remains to be seen if it will be reinstated given the blaze.
There are no reported injuries at the facility as of this writing. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
This story will be updated.
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