GARLAND, Texas — Cleanup efforts are continuing after an explosion and fire at a Sherwin-Williams paint factory in Garland. Officials said those efforts could take weeks as they seek to avoid possible public health hazards.
The incident happened at about 1:15 a.m. Monday, Aug. 7, at the company's plant on South Shiloh Road and Forest Lane. The plant produces industrial coatings and resins.
Chris Conley, VP of Environmental Health and Safety for Sherwin-Williams, said the source of the fire is unknown at this time, but it likely started near the utility and resin manufacturing area of the building.
According to the City of Garland, it took 16 fire units two hours to extinguish the flames. One employee faced minor injuries, and was released after treatment.
"This was a life-threatening situation involving chemical elements and explosions," said Garland City Manager Judson Rex.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that, during the incident, foam retardant from the plant's fire suppression system spilled into storm drains and nearby creeks. In addition, the building is filled with a long list of hazardous materials that could have contaminated the water.
The EPA released a map of the impacted creeks spanning 17.4 water miles, which can be viewed here. Residents are being urged to avoid those creek areas during the cleanup process.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is also working on this incident and said crews constructed dams and are pumping water out of the impacted creeks. Approximately 700,000 gallons of potentially contaminated water were collected by 30 tanks. Officials said 23 more tanks will be filed in the next few days as water testing continues.
According to the EPA, most of the contamination happened at Duck Creek in Garland.
Eric Delgado, with the EPA, said, "We ask residents in this area to be aware that contractors from Sherwin-Williams will be knocking on their doors to get approval to sample the stream and surrounding banks."
Air and water quality have been tested since the explosion occurred. The city said air quality tests have shown safe levels. Drinking water is also safe to consume. There are no major impacts on public health, but testing is ongoing.
However, dead fish have been found in affected creeks. The EPA is asking people to not fish, swim or play in the creeks or the Trinity River until it is cleaned up. Cities in Dallas and Kaufman counties are impacted.
Ellis County Office of Emergency Management said it was notified Friday, Aug. 11 by the EPA that the runoff from the plant fire would also be entering the county via its waterways and tributaries that feed into the Trinity River. Emergency Management said there's no threat to the public but its concern is the presence of the firefighting foam which is visible at the surface of the water. The office continues to monitor the situation.
Any residents who identify any hazards should report them to the city's Alert System at GarlandTX.gov. Any residents who feel ill and believe it is from contact with impacted waterways should call poison control for help.
The EPA will perform a review on the response by Sherwin-Williams. While the fire happened at 1:15 a.m., the company did not notify the National Response Center until 9:05 a.m., according to Delgado. There could be repercussions for the delay in reporting.
Sherwin-Williams is paying for the clean-up costs.
Conley said, "At this point, we don't know what the total investment will be, but we are committed to seeing it through and doing it the right way."
More information on this incident will be regularly updated on the EPA’s incident website.