For the umpteenth time in recent memory, a fire broke out at the Jim Wilkinson Iron and Metal Inc. salvage yard between 14th Street and send toxic clouds billowing over the nearby neighborhoods. The yard is located at 3145 East 14th Street, Brownsville, next to an elementary school.
Neighbors living on Taft Street to the south between Victoria Elementary and the salvage yard were outside their homes hoping the blazing iron and metal inferno could be contained. Firefighters and police were powerless to do anything about the blaze but wit until it burned out.
The Brownsville Fire Department responded to 911 calls at around 2 a.m. Three fire trucks and a medic unit were sent out to the business.
It took firefighters four hours to put out the flames and they said no injuries were reported. In April, firefighters said they responded to an explosion at the recycling center.
However, bystanders as far back as the railroad tracks behind the recycling center reported that toxic droplets falling from the billowing white and black smoke were falling as the cloud moved northwest pushed by a southeast wind.
"I felt drops falling on me and I looked at the sky but I couldn't see any clouds other than the smoke coming from the fire," said a man standing along the fence line of his home. "There were at least a half-dozen explosions coming from the fire."
The flames of the red-hot metal fire were spectacular, with red and yellow tongues rising above the pine trees landscaping the rear of the yard. Neighbors speculated what could be dropping from the cloud, but some complained of a burning sensation. this morning, one of the residents reported that he had broken out in small sores even though he showered when he begin to feel discomfort.
"This kind of business doesn't belong next to an elementary school or a neighborhood," he said. "Someone ought to do something about this."
0 comments:
Post a Comment