Rural warehouse fire draws multi-city response

RIO HONDO — A large fire consumed a warehouse containing various chemicals on the outskirts of Rio Hondo Friday afternoon, burning for several hours and creating a billowing cloud of black smoke visible for miles.
The warehouse, on FM 106, sits across from Las Yescas Elementary School and is surrounded by a large brushy area.
The building was full of paint and other unknown chemicals, Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Humberto Barrera said.
He could not say if the chemicals contributed to the cause of the fire, which broke out around 12:30 p.m., because it is still under investigation.
Barrera said firefighters doused the grassy land around the warehouse to avoid spread.
Gonzalo Salazar, superintendent of the Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District, said the school did not evacuate, but readied buses in case the students needed to leave quickly.
“It was a challenge with a school nearby,” Barrera said. “But the wind kept the smoke away from the school.”
Another major challenge in fighting the fire, Barrera said, was the lack of a sustaining water source. The area does not have fire hydrants.
Crews drove frequently to the nearest water source, about 2 miles from the fire, to replenish the tanks.
Barrera said the fire was brought under control after several hours, but firefighters were still working to completely extinguish the blaze for much of Friday.
No one was inside the structure when the fire started, but two workers were outside in the area.
The fire consumed at least about five acres, he said.
Several fire departments in Cameron County, including Rio Hondo, Harlingen, Brownsville and Los Fresnos responded to help extinguish the fire, Barrera said.