Fire under investigation, TCEQ monitors air quality
Pictured are various scenes of Monday evening’s fire that consumed a field of tires somewhere between San Benito and La Paloma. Also shown is the silhouette of a home consumed by the blaze. (Photos by Jose Ramos)
By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com
The sky turned black near La Paloma Monday evening as a fire engulfed a field of tires and forced local officials to evacuate nearby homes and close down the road leading to the blaze.
As of presstime Tuesday, Barlow Road in the vicinity of the 3300 block and beyond remained closed to motorists as a result of limited visibility due to residual smoke. In the meantime, officials with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) are monitoring air quality while the Cameron County Fire Marshal’s office investigates the cause of the fire.
It all started at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Monday, when San Benito Fire Marshal Henry Lopez said his department received the initial call. Upon stepping outside, evidence of the blaze was immediately apparent as thick, black smoke blotted out the sky and could be seen for miles. This was evident as the News received reports from motorists who observed the smoke in Los Indios, La Paloma, San Benito, Harlingen, Rio Hondo, Los Fresnos and even Brownsville.
But the fire was actually condensed to a 15-acre piece of land located on 3309 Barlow Road in San Benito, close to La Paloma. Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Humberto Barrera said a significant amount of discarded tires had accumulated there over the years, some residents who live nearby claimed that such numbers exceeded into the thousands.
There has been no official word yet on whether the tires were dumped on the grounds illegally, nor has any foul play of any sort been reported. Barrera said it may be some time before any information is released given then short amount of time investigators have had to probe the area.
Lopez said it wasn’t until 10:30 p.m. that the bulk of the blaze was largely extinguished – this with fire departments from the cities of San Benito, McAllen, Harlingen, Santa Rosa, Rio Hondo, Los Fresnos, and the county assisting.
Meanwhile, the curious nature of the black smoke had many alarmed and others concerned that it could possibly be detrimental to the area’s environment. TCEQ Regional Director David Ramirez said officials have closely monitored air quality levels and, thus far, have not seen much to warrant such concerns.
“We have air monitors in the Mercedes and Mission area, and those monitors didn’t really register high levels. As you could see the plume be carried away it dissipated into higher levels of the atmosphere. If smoke was closer to the ground, hugging the ground, then more air would be impacted,” said Ramirez, who described TCEQ’s role in the fire’s aftermath as that of a technical advisor offering assistance related to air quality.
“We’ve looking at air monitoring because of the nature of the black smoke, but as of today, the City of San Benito Fire Department along with the county has done a great job to minimize the smoke, and recently more of a white smoke has been emitted as the fire is being reduced.”
Ramirez added that the black smoke was more than likely produced by the oil and petroleum-based tires. “Usually white smoke is indicative of it being extinguished,” he said.
Although one house was claimed by the fire, no injuries have been reported as a result. The investigation remains ongoing.
To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the Aug. 3 edition of the San Benito News. Or view our E-Edition by clicking here.
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