TX FFs Battle Large Commercial Fire

Apr. 22—Firefighters spent roughly six hours Wednesday night battling a blaze that completely destroyed a large commercial building at Viking Pools on East Interstate 20 near FM 1788.

Dispatchers received multiple calls from passersby reporting the fire around 7:45 p.m. and when firefighters arrived they discovered a 24,000 square foot building used to manufacture fiberglass pools engulfed in flames, said Karisa Danley, a spokeswoman for the City of Midland.

Firefighters from Midland and Odessa fought the fire, along with firefighters from Greenwood, Northeast Midland County and West Odessa volunteer fire departments and the Midland County Sheriff's Office evacuated surrounding businesses, Danley said.

It took the firefighters two hours to contain the blaze, but another four hours extinguishing "hotspots," she said.

The building was a complete loss and fire marshals continue to investigate the cause, she said.

Odessa Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Rodd Huber said the biggest issue was the lack of water at the scene. There were no water hydrants in the area so the City of Odessa sent two water tankers along with seven firefighters.

In addition, Danley said the weather was also a concern.

"Incident Command communicated with the National Weather Service periodically for weather updates. Our concern was a shift in wind direction or an increase in wind speed," she said.

As always, Huber said the firefighters took every precautionary measure they could, but noted fiberglass is especially dangerous.

"You've got to stay out of the smoke for sure," he said.

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