Southlake chemical warehouse fire contained after schools locked down, homes evacuated

A chemical warehouse fire in Southlake led to multiple streets being closed and two schools sheltering in place Wednesday afternoon, according to the Southlake Department of Public Safety.

Southlake Deputy Fire Chief Jeremy Wilson said at a news conference Wednesday that the fire, which started at 1:23 p.m., was contained by 2:45 p.m. and that a hazmat team was on site. There were no known injuries, but hazmat teams are working to determine if the chemicals inside the warehouse pose any danger to the public.

The fire, around 4000 T.W. King Road in far northwest Southlake, caused homes along three roads to be evacuated: West Bob Jones Road, Southfork Road, and Silver Spur Road.

A shelter has been set up at the Southlake DPS north facility at 100 East Dove Road, Wilson said.

Two buildings were involved in the fire, Wilson said. Both were chemical warehouses, with one partially involved and one fully involved. Firefighters initially responding to the blaze called for more support when they saw a large column of black smoke in the air.

The four-alarm fire had 60 firefighters from Southlake and neighboring communities involved in efforts to extinguish it, according to Southlake DPS.

Wilson said the hazmat team will be looking at what chemicals were in the structures and which way winds were blowing the smoke from those chemicals. He did not say how long the city expects residents to have to stay out of their homes.

Hazmat teams are also in Grapevine, Colleyville, Trophy Club, Westlake, Euless, Beford, Fort Worth, and North Richland Hills to look into any dangers the chemical fire may have created for the public, Wilson said.

WFAA-TV reported that Carroll ISD said Walnut Grove Elementary was put on a “shelter in place” protocol. The school was scheduled to have an early dismissal at noon.

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