LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) -
Lufkin firefighters quickly contained a fire that broke out at the salvage
yard located at the site of the former Citation Texas Foundry on North Raguet
Street Thursday afternoon and kept it from spreading to nearby acetylene and
propylene tanks.
Steve McCool, a spokesman for the Lufkin Fire Department, said the fire
started under a wood chipper and quickly spread. Heavy black smoke was visible
when fire crews arrived on the scene.
"An employee on site stated that they were welding/cutting on a large piece
of machinery, and some hydraulic fluid beneath the machine caught on fire and
caused the chipper to catch on fire also," McCool said. "He also advised that
there were some acetylene and propylene bottles near the seat of the fire."
Fire trucks from several Lufkin fire stations responded to the blaze at 4:40
p.m.. The fire started in a wood grinder located in one of the business'
buildings. Lufkin Police officers blocked traffic on Hill Street, which runs
behind the old foundry.
While Engine 5 hosed down the fire with a "master stream" from Hill Street, firefighters
from Engine 4 set up a ladder within the facility to knock the fire down. The
fire crews continued to hose down the area until it had cooled, and then they
used smaller fire hoses to extinguish any remaining "hot spots."
Fire crews had the fire completely contained by 6:15 p.m., and no injuries
were reported.
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