SHEPHERD, Texas — There were scary moments Wednesday as smoke and flames billowed into the sky after a massive explosion at Sound Resource Solutions near Shepherd sent workers running for cover and forced people to shelter in place for hours.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation but is reportedly tied to a forklift incident.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality deployed mobile air monitoring units Wednesday night.
It's a move Marcelo D'Amico, President of Orcus Fire and Risk, said is standard as the investigation into the explosion plays out.
"Part of the government's job locally is to really determine what is the overall impact outside of just generally cleaning up the post-fire incident. If there was a liquid spill where did it go, did it get into the water," D'Amico said.
Experts said that while there are no concerning levels of chemicals or particulate matter in the air at the moment, that doesn't mean impacts won't be felt later on.
"The smoke went up in the air very high but eventually that plume is going to fall down somewhere, so if you were outside and you were inhaling those products of combustion, most likely it's not going to make you feel that great," D'Amico said.
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The frightening sight served as a reminder to those who may find themselves in harm's way.
"People should be cognizant of what they live next to, like, hey, what happens if there is a spill? What happens if there is a fire? Am I in danger? What kind of toxic chemicals?" D'Amico said.
TCEQ said they'll have crews monitoring the air quality at the site and until further notice.