Pollution/Situation Report Profile

Supply Pro Fire
Houston, TX - EPA Region VI
POLREP #1
Initial POLREP

Printer Friendly | PDF

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
POLLUTION/SITUATION REPORT
Supply Pro Fire - Removal Polrep
Initial Removal Polrep

EPA Emergency Response

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Region VI

Subject:

POLREP #1
Initial POLREP
Supply Pro Fire

Houston, TX
Latitude: 29.7644080 Longitude: -95.3089020

To:

From:

Valmichael Leos, OSC

Date:

6/14/2012

Reporting Period:

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Site Number:		Contract Number:
D.O. Number:		Action Memo Date:
Response Authority:	CERCLA	Response Type:	Emergency
Response Lead:	EPA	Incident Category:
NPL Status:	Non NPL	Operable Unit:
Mobilization Date:	6/14/2012	Start Date:	6/14/2012
Demob Date:	6/14/2012	Completion Date:
CERCLIS ID:		RCRIS ID:
ERNS No.:		State Notification:
FPN#:		Reimbursable Account #:

1.1.1 Incident Category

Emergency Response

1.1.2 Site Description

The warehouse that caught on fire is located along Hahlo and Clinton Drive approximately 5 miles east of downtown Houston. The warehouse location was used in the manufacturing process and storage of oil spill cleanup products, absorbent materials, and supplies.

1.1.2.1 Location

Supply Pro Incorporated is the responsible party who owns the warehouse located at 1231 Hahlo Drive in Houston, Texas.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

The warehouse storage consisted of plastic products when caught on fire created a thick black smoke. The threat to human health and the environment involved potential stormwater contamination from the run-off of fire fighting water in addition to potential release of contaminants in the air due to heavy smoke from the fire.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

2. Current Activities

2.1 Operations Section

2.1.1 Narrative
A fire was reported at the Supply Pro Inc. warehouse, located at 1231 Hahlo Street Houston, TX at approximately 1330 hrs. The fire involved approximately 80,000 pounds of cotton bale polypropylene resin, 20,000 pounds of cotton bale pads, 15,000 pounds of cotton bale boom, 3,000 pounds of peroxide, equipment, and metal. The City of Houston Fire Department responded to the fire and their Hazardous Materials (HazMat) response team deployed seven Area Rae monitors with radiation detectors approximately 300 yards away from the building. The Area Rae's monitored the air for carbon monoxide (CO), oxygen, lower explosive limit (LEL), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The peak CO reading was 70 parts per million (ppm). The peak dropped to 10 ppm then to 0 ppm at approximately 1400 hrs. No detection of radiation was reported. As a precaution an initial shelter-in-place was ordered for residents within a 5-mile radius of the warehouse fire. The radius was then reduced to 3-miles at approximately 1735 hrs. due to air monitoring results and plum modeling. The shelter-in-place order was lifted at approximately 2010 hrs. The plume of smoke traveled north and northwest towards the adjacent residential neighborhoods and Interstate 10.

The City of Houston (CoH) Public Works along with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) responded to the scene and conducted mobile air monitoring using a 4-gas monitor for CO, oxygen, LEL, and VOCs. The mobile air monitoring was conducted along Kress, Lyons, and Lathrop Streets which surround the industrial complex. Air monitoring was also conducted near by Pugh Elementary and McReynolds Middle Schools. No air quality concerns were reported from the locations visited above. In addition to air monitoring, water quality monitoring was also conducted which tested the pH of the firefighting runoff water and samples were collected from one storm drain inlet. The sample will be analyzed for phenols, metals, volatiles, and semi-volatiles.

US EPA and their environmental contractors, START-3, responded to the scene. START-3 was tasked with photo and written documentation of the site response activities. START-3 contractors joined with CoH Public Works in an attempt to sample the outfall discharging into Buffalo Bayou, but was unsuccessful because the outfall was inaccessible (see images section). At 2015 hrs. EPA contractors collected one runoff sample of fire suppression water from an adjacent storm water inlet. The storm water inlet was also monitored using a Hannah water quality meter. The results are as follows:

pH = 7.15
temperature = 31.83 C
ORP = 28.2
conductivity = 1118 uS/cm
DO% = 86.7
salinity = 0.55

At approximately 2200 hrs. the fire was declared extinguished by the CoH Fire Department. EPA and contractors demobolized from the site at approximately 2210 hrs.

2.1.2 Response Actions to Date

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

The Responsible Party is Supply Pro Incorporated.

2.1.4 Progress Metrics

*Waste Stream*	*Medium*	*Quantity*	*Manifest #*	*Treatment*	*Disposal*

2.2 Planning Section

2.2.1 Anticipated Activities

Coordinate with the CoH Public Works and TCEQ on final review, analysis, and reporting on response activities conducted on scene such as air monitoring and water quality monitoring / sampling.

2.2.1.1 Planned Response Activities

EPA will be sending the fire fighting runoff water sample off to an accredited laboratory for analysis of semi-volatile compounds using standard method 8270.

2.2.1.2 Next Steps

Review all environmental data and finalize after action report.

2.2.2 Issues

None

2.3 Logistics Section