A fire at a decommissioned power plant in Galveston County early Sunday prompted a response from multiple emergency services departments, and nearby residents were advised to avoid the area and stay indoors as plumes of smoke billowed from the site about 40 miles southeast of Houston.
The fire erupted at the former PHR Peakers Plant in the 5500 block of Texas Highway 146, near the intersection of Avenue J and 29th Street in the Bacliff and San Leon area, according to a Facebook post by the Kemah Police Department. The Bacliff Volunteer Fire Department, in a post shortly before 4 a.m., reported that it was responding to a “large structure fire” as well as nearby grass fires.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was not immediately known, according to officials from Texas City, who wrote in a late afternoon Facebook post that the fire had "weakened tremendously" since the morning.
"The site is likely to continue to smolder for the next few days," the post stated. "Hazmat special services will remain on scene for clean up and continuous monitoring."
In an early afternoon social media post, the Galveston County Health District said it was monitoring for particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, noting that all air quality readings as of 12:30 p.m. had been “at or near baseline.”
The Kemah Police Department reported hours earlier that a “huge (plume) of smoke” was drifting north from the site.
Health officials in Galveston County advised “at-risk individuals, especially those with pre-existing lung conditions, to remain indoors if they are in the area, as smoke inhalation may cause respiratory issues.”
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