UVALDE, TEXAS
--
Smoke was still billowing from the Border Recycling Center in Uvalde late Tuesday night.
The smoke at times could be seen from as far away as San Antonio.
The fire broke out just after 1 p.m. at the Former Frio Foods plant located off Hacienda Road.
The Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department worked to contain the fire throughout the night and into Wednesday morning.
Uvalde Fire Chief Gene Ayala said the fire started in a pile of recycling material, which he said also kept fueling the blaze.
"The plastic, paper, vinyl, and foam, all the different types of recycling materials in here, it's really compact, and it just makes it harder to put water in the inside of it," Ayala said.
Angela Fernandez, a Uvalde resident, said she could see the thick, black smoke when she was driving home.
"It looked like an explosion or something," Fernandez said. "It looked really horrible. I was a little bit worried when I went outside."
Ayala said the six workers who were inside the recycling center at the time made it out safely.
The 180,000-square foot building was a complete loss.
A cause is under investigation.
Copyright 2009 by
KSAT.com
All rights reserved.
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
