HOUSTON --
A massive fire Friday destroyed all of Harris County's voting machines and it could effect how people vote in the upcoming election.
Houston firefighters said the fire broke out at the Harris County Clerk Election Technology Center on Canino Road at Downey Street at about 4 a.m. Friday.
Bright orange flames consumed the building, which is longer than a football field, and thick black smoke could be seen from miles away.
About 200 firefighters battled the fire from outside the building because the flames were too intense for them to safely go inside.
The fire was fueled by voting papers and plastic covers over the voting machines, officials said.
Firefighters said the building was too dangerous for anyone to go inside and assess the damage. It could take hours or days for it to cool down enough to enter.
After the flames were extinguished, the warehouse's parking lot looked like a lake. It forced a county animal shelter to close for the day since no one could get to it.
County clerk's office spokesman Hector DeLeon said all of the county's 10,000 voting machines were housed in the building.
"This is the only warehouse where we store equipment," DeLeon said.
DeLeon said the fire shouldn't affect early voting, which begins on Oct. 18. They plan to borrow voting machines from other jurisdictions.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to have a timely election here and that we're going to take care of the voters," County Clerk Beverly Kaufman said.
There are more than 1 million registered voters in Harris County and about 33 percent actually cast a ballot during gubernatorial elections. The county also represents about 20 percent of all voters in Texas.
Kaufman said there will likely be a shortage of voting machines on Election Day, Nov. 2.
"I think we're going to be going to every resource we can find to get what we need," she said. "I don' t expect to get enough equipment from other counties beyond the early voting needs."
Kaufman said the loss was estimated to be $30 to $40 million. She said the building and its contents were insured.
Officials said voting records were not lost, so registered voters do not need to re-register.
No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Detectives said it started in the south side of the building.
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