Texas City, Texas (KTRK) — A thick plume of smoke billowed over the Texas city as firefighters worked to extinguish a large fire at a power station that was out of service, according to officials.
The PHR Peakers plant on the 5500 block of Highway 146, just inside Texas City limits, caught fire, according to Kemah police. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was first reported around 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
Pictures from the scene showed that smoke was still rising from the building while several fire engines worked to control the flames.
Pearland, Bacliffe and other nearby fire departments in Galveston County worked together to put out the blaze throughout the morning, Pearland Professional Firefighters Local 4964 said. The San Leon Volunteer Fire Department led the response, GCSO added.
Photos captured by the ABC13 crew from Interstate 146 show a plume of smoke rising above the Texas City sky and blocking out the sun during a massive building fire.
Smoke from the fire was so thick that ABC13 meteorologist Kevin Roth was able to see it on Alert 13 radar as it drifted northeast over Galveston Bay.
ABC13 Meteorologist Kevin Roth observed the smoke plume on 13 Alert Radar as it spread northeast across Galveston Bay Sunday morning.
ABC13
A public safety alert has been issued for mobile devices in the area, urging residents to avoid smoking conditions.
Texas City firefighters said air monitoring showed the air quality was safe.
Officials said crews will be working throughout the morning to get the incident under control.
ABC13 is working to gather more details as this story develops.
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