Firefighters battled a large fire on Friday afternoon at a scrap yard in Fort Worth.
The fire broke out Friday afternoon at Texas Industrial Scrap Metal along the 3800 block of Commerce Street, near the intersection with NW 38th Street east of Meacham International Airport. Firefighters were able to contain the fire at about 4:17 a.m. on Saturday.
From Texas Sky Ranger, the fire could be seen burning in a large heap of scrap metal on the facility's east side adjacent to train tracks.
Dark black, billowing smoke was seen rising into the sky for miles.
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Craig Trojacek, the Fort Worth Fire Department's public information officer, said at about 3:40 p.m. that the fire was a one-alarm fire but that they requested additional resources at the scene primarily because the heat index was expected to reach 112 degrees Friday afternoon.
"Anytime that we come in combat with fire, heat is something we're up against on a regular day. With all of the protective equipment we wear, we've got multiple layers. It protects us, but it also does not let that heat escape from the inside of our suits," Trojacek said. "On a day when you're looking at 100-plus just the physical toll of dehydration, fatigue, we do rotate companies in and bring in our gear truck."
The department's gear truck allows firefighters to remove sweaty, heavy gear for cleaner, lighter uniforms. The fire department also brings out its rehab unit, stocked with water, Gatorade, and other nourishment for firefighters.
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Trojacek said firefighters were also facing an additional challenge getting water on the fire because most of the hoses used to fight the fire were coming off the same water main and there was only so much water they could pull at one time.
He described the scale of the operation.
“Four engines, two trucks, and two battalion chiefs,” said Trojacek. “I do know they asked for additional companies. Some of that is for manpower because of the heat so we can rotate those companies.”
A spokesperson from Global Green United Inc. responded to NBC 5 saying a piece of glass that got mixed with metal and was hit by the sun sparked the fire.
According to the spokesperson, six different yards and businesses operate in a two-block radius and the fire is on the American Shredding lot.
The spokesperson also shared that the loss is at $4.5 million at this point.
No injuries have been reported.
Trojacek said he has not yet received any air quality tests, but if the smoke is determined to pose a risk to the public, an alert will be issued then.
