RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — Eight North Texas fire departments responded Thursday afternoon to a five-alarm industrial fire at a foam recycling facility at 2525 Handley Ederville Road in Richland Hills.
The address is listed online with a company called Advanced Foam Recycling.
About 125 fire department personnel including a hazardous materials team and officials from Richland Hills, North Richland Hills, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Bedford, Hurst, Watauga and Grapevine responded to the fire, which was reported about 12:30 p.m. and continued to burn more than three hours later.
The 134,000-square-foot, one-story recycling facility building has been destroyed, and the roof collapsed, but the fire has been contained to the one business, said Richland Hills Police Department Capt. Sheena McEachran.
Richland Hills police said they received a report of one injured person who self-transported to the hospital prior to emergency crews’ arrival. The injured person’s condition was unknown. McEachran didn’t know how many employees were at the building when the fire started.
Heavy smoke from the fire was visible from surrounding cities. McEachran said officials will continue monitoring air quality in the area, but it appeared to be OK as of Thursday afternoon.
Anyone who lives southwest or downwind of the building was advised to stay inside and close windows and doors.
The fire was about two blocks long.
A spokesperson with the North Richland Hills Emergency Management Office said no evacuations had been ordered.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
McEachran said she didn’t know of any code enforcement problems in the building prior to the fire.
Nearby workers in the industrial area about half a block away from the fire scene told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram they saw smoke one minute and the next minute the building was fully engulfed.
