City: Spring Branch warehouse that burned fell short on paperwork
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- We have new developments on last month's big warehouse fire in Spring Branch.
The city says the facility did not have a hazardous certificate of occupancy, nor was it registered with the city as a hazardous enterprise.
"Because this owner had ignored requirements to report what they were storing at the site, the community and our firefighters had limited knowledge of what they were dealing with that day," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "Everyone was understandably concerned. Thankfully, we have been able to confirm there is minimal risk, which should be a relief to residents."
The city also says this fire brought to light deficiencies in the Houston Fire Department's inspection process and that has now prompted an audit of HFD records.
The fire gutted a chemical warehouse on May 5. The city of Houston issued some findings of its investigation of the fire. Tests identified several chemicals not included in the limited information provided to the city by the owners of the facility.
