PHOTOS - Acrid plumes of black smoke blanketed parts of west Houston for hours Thursday as a raging warehouse fire forced one school to evacuate and residents to shelter in place amid concerns of possible environmental contamination from chemicals stored on the property.
Runoff from the firefighters' efforts sent vivid red streams of chemical additives flowing into Spring Branch Creek, and authorities warned residents to avoid the water there and in nearby ditches and culverts until it could be tested. Results are expected on Friday. More than 170 firefighters spent hours containing the four-alarm blaze, which caused massive explosions that sent balls of fire shooting skyward.
"It was like throwing bombs in the air," said Sasha Martinez, 21, who gathered with others to watch just a few streets away from her home in the Spring Branch area.
Despite the ferocity of the blaze, no one was injured, authorities said.