FRISCO, Texas — A chemical fire at a Frisco pool store led to city officials asking residents to shelter in place, but the fire was ultimately deemed non-hazardous to residents, officials said.
Early Wednesday morning, residents were asked to shelter in place after a pool supply business caught fire in an industrial park off the Dallas North Tollway. The request was lifted about an hour later.
The fire was first reported at 7:44 a.m. at Texas Pool Supply in the 10500 block of John W. Elliott Drive, near Eldorado Parkway and the Dallas North Tollway. The fire was called "out" by 9:28 a.m., according to a press release from Frisco Fire.
Firefighters remain on the scene as of 10 a.m.
Three chemicals – pool salt, chlorine and pool shock – were involved in the fire. Two of those chemicals are considered hazardous, Kelly Kistner, fire marshal and public information officer, said in a press conference.
“Hazardous materials will complicate any response that we make especially a building fire like this,” Kistner said. “Luckily here in Frisco, we are blessed to have those hazardous materials specialists, those people that can handle these types of emergencies right alongside our firefighters.”
At 8:30 a.m., The city of Frisco asked residents in the area bordered by Research Road to the north, Page Street to the south, the railroad tracks to the east and the Dallas North Tollway to the west, to shelter in place. By 9:18 a.m. the shelter in place was lifted, the city said. The fire department issued the shelter-in-place as a precaution after people in the area said they smelled an odor, Kistner said.
The chemicals currently pose no threat to the public and the department is working to ensure the runoff does not reach the water system, Kistner said. The public is safe, he reiterated.
“There is no danger to anybody in town as a result of this fire,” Kistner said.
Two firefighters were taken to a hospital for inhalation-related injuries as a precaution, Kistner said. Both firefighters were in stable condition, but more details weren't released.
Video from a viewer captured while traveling down All Stars Avenue near the site of the fire shows heavy flames and smoke coming from a building.
The Little Elm Fire Department also responded the scene.
The company, Texas Pool Supply, is new, Kistner said. The building was recently inspected by the Frisco Fire Department, Kistner added. The company was compliant and there was a routine follow-up scheduled for today, Kistner said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the department said. The investigation cannot begin until the hazardous materials are remediated, Kistner said.