Shelter order lifted after massive fire at K-Solv facility in Channelview

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A massive fire burned for hours Wednesday afternoon at an industrial facility on Lakeside Drive in the Channelview area. K-Solv tweeted that all of their employees are safe and accounted for.

The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office says no injuries have been reported. Officials later added that one person sought medical treatment for respiratory issues. A shelter-in-place order has now been lifted for Lakeside Park Estates and Lakeview Homes, according to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

The blaze that broke out at about 4 p.m. sent a huge plume of thick, black smoke over eastern Harris County. At the height of the blaze, the smoke was so thick it was even visible on doppler radar.

Deer Park’s Office of Emergency Management tweeted that the smoke is not impacting their city.

Harris County’s Pollution Control Services Department shows real-time air quality monitoring on their website.

According to the fire marshal’s office, known chemicals on site include, but are not limited to, hydrochloric acid, acetone, ethanol, ethylene dichloride, and other acids. Air monitoring is taking place, and they said they have found no actionable levels.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, told that they are gathering information and deploying an emergency response coordinator to the scene to assess the situation.

Residents in the area report hearing a loud noise just before sirens went off.

Traffic is being impacted in the area. Some local streets, including Lakeside, Northshore, De Zavalla Road and Harding Street, have shut down according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, drivers are slowing on the East Freeway where the smoke is blowing over the road.