Shelter-in-place lifted following chemical fire at southwest Houston warehouse
Houston residents concerned about air quality after chemical fire
Some residents in southwest Houston had a scare early Saturday morning when a warehouse, owned by a company that uses various chemicals, caught fire. Some neighbors are waiting to get more information about the air quality. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle explains more about the neighbors' concerns.
HOUSTON - Authorities have lifted the precautionary shelter-in-place they put in place Saturday due to a chemical fire in southwest Houston.
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This comes hours after firefighters were called to a warehouse in the 6200 block of Royalton around 4:30 a.m. No details were shared on what caused that fire, but we're told it was upgraded to a 3-alarm fire at one point.
As of this writing, it's unclear how severe the fire is, but in an email alert from the City of Houston hours later, residents within a 1.5-mile radius are asked to close their doors and windows and turn off their A/C/ to limit exposure.
The shelter-in-place has since been lifted, as of 2 p.m.
Houston FD Chief Sam Pena noted during a press conference no injuries were reported, but the building is a total loss.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Chief Pena also noted it seems accidental and reiterated the shelter-in-place was a precaution..
"There is no explosive concern there is no chemical concern is essentially for the particulates at this moment," he said. "We're working with the EPA to ensure that we do a complete atmospheric testing and monitoring before we left any shelter in place."
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No additional details have been shared but FOX 26 will continue to make updates to this story as more information becomes available.