A fire at a cotton gin north of Corpus Christi, Texas, drew a large emergency response on Wednesday and prompted the evacuation of homes on nearly a dozen nearby residential streets, the authorities said.
At least four fire departments were battling the blaze, including by dropping fire retardant on the flames from the air, as the fire burned in high winds. The fire started at the Gregory Gin Company, the city of Gregory, Texas, said on social media.
There were no reports of injuries, but two houses were lost in the blaze, said Aaron Boyes, a city councilman in Gregory, a city of 1,740 residents about 13 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.
Residents of 11 nearby streets on the city’s north side were under a mandatory evacuation order, according to the San Patricio County Office of Emergency Management. A community center was opened as a shelter for evacuees, officials said. Natural gas service was shut off in that area, city officials said.
The cause of the fire has not been established, said Heather Gonzales of the Texas A&M Forest Service.
“Damages will be further assessed once visibility improves,” she said, adding that the extent of the damage should be more clear by Thursday morning.
Smoke from the fire could be seen in satellite footage, according to a social media post from the Corpus Christi office of the National Weather Service.
It was not immediately clear when the fire had started, but the first public notice from the city of Gregory was posted just after 2 p.m. By just after 7 p.m., about 15 acres were burning and the fire was 50 percent contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
David Krebs, the top elected official in San Patricio County, signed a disaster declaration on Wednesday, allowing the county to take steps to seek federal and state assistance, county officials said.
The Gregory Gin Company did not immediately respond to a request for information about the fire on Wednesday evening.
County, city and state officials were responding to the fire. Representatives from the Texas Division of Emergency Management were at the scene to assist, San Patricio County officials said.
Firefighters responded to an earlier fire at the cotton gin on Tuesday night, according to the Taft Volunteer Fire Department. Workers at the gin were monitoring for “major flare ups” the department said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management warned of increased fire danger in South Texas because of heavy winds and dry air. A red flag warning was in effect across South Texas on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said, indicating an increased risk of fire danger.
State Senator Adam Hinojosa, whose district includes all of San Patricio County, shared photos on social media of billowing smoke over a highway and said his office was communicating with local officials. “Please join us in praying for everyone affected and for the safety of our first responders,” he said.
Sheelagh McNeill contributed research.
Rylee Kirk reports on breaking news, trending topics and major developing stories for The Times.
Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.
The post Large Fire at Texas Cotton Gin Prompts Evacuation Order appeared first on New York Times.
