Firefighters give closer look inside Deer Park tank fire
Hundreds of firefighters and first responders have been to the ITC facility risking their lives in order to protect thousands. Now we're getting a closer look at the fight to put out the blaze.
"I went out outside like most residents and saw a black plume northeast of my home," said Kemah Fire Chief Brent Hahn.
It was tough to leave his family, but the Kemah fire chief quickly went into work and got his team ready.
"We got the call Tuesday to go out to assist," he said.
The small town crew took their "old trusty" fire engine to the infamous ITC fire, that had already been burning since Sunday when his team stepped in to assist on Tuesday morning.
"There was a lot of manual labor with moving hoses, unbuckling hoses and helping each other," he said.
Kemah Fire Engine No. 2 shared exclusive images showing intense smoke and the fire still burning while gallons of water continued to gush out.
"This truck pumped non-stop," he said. Kemah Fire Engine No.2 pumped a million gallons that day.
"It was a nonstop operation until they were relieved to come back to the city of Kemah," he said.
It wasn't until 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. "They looked tired," said the chief.
Even then, the crew didn't go home and relax because some of the firefighters step into the frontlines as a side gig.
"One of our volunteers works for a private hazardous material company and he was back there this morning," he said.
But they would all do it again in a heartbeat in order to protect their community and their families.
"I'm very proud of my team, they went out there willingly without question," said the chief.
