Bundles bound for recycling burn at south Fort Worth plant

FORT WORTH Bundles of cardboard, plastic and other material destined for recycling caught fire Monday afternoon outside a plant in far south Fort Worth, sending black smoke high into the sky.

Fort Worth firefighters labored in 106-degree heat to extinguish the fire at Evergreen Paper Recycling at 1110 Everman Parkway, said Lt. Kyle Falkner, a Fire Department spokesman.

The first 911 call came in at 5:56 p.m., and it took about 1 1/2 hours to get the fire under control, he said.

The fire was mostly contained to the outside of the building, but some crept inside. Firefighters were still dousing hot spots after 8 p.m.

Thirty-five units with more than 90 personnel responded, Falkner said.

Investigators from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality arrived shortly after the fire was put out to do air monitoring and possible water-quality testing, he said.

The environmental crews later issued an advisory that people living as much as a mile downwind (to the northwest) of the fire should stay indoors if they have upper respiratory problems. They said the fire caused an elevated concentration of particles in the air.

The cause of the blaze may not be available for several days, Falkner said.

The temperature at 6 p.m. at Spinks Airport, the closest monitoring station, was 106, the National Weather Service reported.

Paramedics were requested at 6:54 p.m. and remained at the scene in case firefighters needed heat-related help, MedStar spokesman Matt Zavadsky said. None had required treatment by 8 p.m.

Evergreen Paper Recycling’s building was opened in 1996, according to the company’s website, which also says it is the leading commercial and industrial recycling service provider in the Metroplex.

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Bundles bound for recycling burn at south Fort Worth plant."