Names of chemicals leaked during Spring Branch fire still unknown
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Houston Fire Department says it struggled to find out what was inside the warehouse that burned Thursday in Spring Branch.
HFD Spokesperson Ruy Lozano says it took three hours to figure out with any specificity what was burning and that they only did so after finally locating the property manager.
"It took awhile," Lozano said.
VIDEO: Fallout continues following warehouse fire
VIDEO: Fireballs fill sky over warehouse in Spring Branch
The EPA says it's now looking at whether Custom Packaging and Filling was required to file a report about the chemicals or if it actually filed that paperwork.
HFD now says both pesticides and petroleum additives were stored in that warehouse which burned so violently Thursday. On Friday, they still could be any more specific about the chemicals than that. Many of the containers holding the chemicals exploded during the four-alarm fire. The water used to fight the fire sent much of that into Spring Branch Creek.
PHOTOS: Massive industrial fire in northwest Houston
"They should've certainly had a game plan, but it seemed like they didn't," said Richard Spreeman who lives in a town home just feet from the scene.
Spreeman says it's troubling to hear the fire department admit they didn't know what they were dealing with at the beginning.
"Wouldn't the city know this? It's beyond me," Spreeman said.
Houston Councilperson Brenda Stardig says it's unsettling to know that in this age of information there was little of it to go around early on. What if this could have been contained better or faster, she suggests.
"As the chair of Public Safety and Homeland Security, I've got a lot of really hard questions that need to be answered," said Stardig.
Mayor Sylvester Turner says he expects a full debrief on Monday. First and foremost he expects the focus now must be containing any contaminants and keeping the neighbors safe.
"If the fire department wasn't given the information that they needed from the warehouse, or the business, timely enough we will deal with it," said Turner.
We've had no response from the owner of Custom Packaging and Filling, despite multiple attempts and a knock on door of the owner's home.
It's worth noting that TCEQ is on scene as are other contractors, working to determine the extent of the exposure to the environment and to clean up what they can.
VIDEO: Four-alarm fire destroys warehouse in NW Houston
VIDEO: Pillars of fire, smoke rise from Spring Branch warehouse
