Fire at east Houston warehouse finally contained

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It took firefighters almost seven hours to put out a fire at a recycling warehouse in east Houston.

The fire broke out just before 2pm at Derichebourg Environment in the 9200 block of Harrisburg at Wharf near the Houston Ship Channel.

There is still no word on what caused it but we do know what made it so hard for firefighters to finally put out.

"The fire is actually on the outside where they keep all of their recycling material, mainly metals and compacted vehicles," said Ruy Lozano with the Houston Fire Department. "Some of those vehicles may have residual fuel and oil causing a little bit of a problem."

Crews monitored the air from the smoke in the area and there was never a need for a shelter in place to be issued.

About 50 firefighters were on the scene. There were no injuries.

The fire department is now looking for answers and officials say it's not the first time they have been called to this location.

"The department has been called out here several times for smaller events. We've never had one of this magnitude," Lozano said.

The recycling company has not issued a comment. According to their website, Derichebourg is a French company which mainly provides recycling and maintenance services to businesses and communities worldwide.