VIDEO: A cavalry of firefighters and response crews had to go into defensive mode as they battled a massive fire at a southwest Houston business that went to three alarms and destroyed an HFD ladder truck.
Explosions continued to erupt hours after the fire broke out some time before 10:30 a.m. Friday in the 7800 block of Westpark Drive near Hillcroft.
A Shelter-in-Place order was issued for residents in the area bordered by Westheimer, Hillcroft, Harwin, and Gessner. The order was lifted just before 5 p.m. Officials cautioned people nearby may continue to see smoke until the fire is fully extinguished.
Two firefighters were also sent to Memorial Hermann hospital for evaluation of heat exhaustion. They were stable, HFD said. Crews sprayed water from above with ladder trucks and on the ground with engine crews for the first few hours before turning off the hoses due to environmental concerns about the runoff, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena.