Warehouse fire prompts shelter-in-place

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Dozens of people were told to stay inside as firefighters pulled four alarms after a fire broke out in west Harris County yesterday.

The flames sparked at Ram Chemical and Supply on Keith Harrow and Greenhouse at around 2:15pm. The billowing black smoke could be seen for miles. Amateur video showed just how massive the fire was.

Neighbors like Brad Fulmer never saw anything like it before.

"I would never expect something like this thing to happen," he said.

It wasn't long after the fire broke out that the pool supply warehouse was engulfed in flames. Firefighters from five different agencies rushed to get people sheltered in place because of the toxic chemicals burning up inside.

"We almost immediately went into defensive mode because of the danger of the chemicals inside the warehouse, the size of fire in the warehouse," Robert Rasa with the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department told us.

Two fire firefighters had to be taken to the hospital because of smoke inhalation. The Harris County Office of Emergency Management, along with HazMat teams were called in for support.

"Our main concern is to rehab the firefighters," said Rasa.

Several roads around the fire remained blocked into the night, adding to the tension of the scene. One neighbor came home to try get her dog, but was met with deputies blocking her neighborhood.

"It's extremely hard," resident Brandi Williams said. "They stopped us right here and obviously they're stopping us here."

For Fulmer, seeing the sheer size of the fire, he wasn't taking any chances.

"My daughter's pregnant," he said. "I just said, 'Get in the car and get out of here until they say it's safe to come back in'."

The shelter-in-place has been lifted.

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