Frisco chemical fire extinguished, 10 first responders taken to hospital
FRISCO, Texas - Ten first responders were hospitalized after battling a large chemical fire at a pool supply store in Frisco on Wednesday morning.
The three-alarm fire started around 7:45 a.m. at the Texas Pool Supply warehouse on John. W. Elliott Drive.
That area northeast of Toyota Stadium is filled with warehouses, including the Dude Perfect warehouse.
Videos captured by FOX 4 viewers show the flames shooting into the air.
Frisco officials originally ordered people in the area to shelter in place because of the chemicals that were burning – pool salt, chlorine tablets, and pool shock.
When chlorine burns, it can send up hazardous smoke. Inhaling it can cause reactions like a violent cough, nausea, vomiting, headaches, chest pains, and burning eyes.
But Kistner said it was just a precaution.
"Early on with the large smoke plume, we had people who stated they were smelling things. So, in order to keep everybody safe, we wanted to make sure that we put that in place. That has since been lifted. The smoke, as you can see, is gone. There’s nothing airborne anymore, so that has been removed," he said.
Kistner says the air is safe and there is no threat to the local water system.
He said no foam was used and said there will not be any issues like the recent backflow problem from a fire in Grand Prairie that cut off water to thousands of residents there.
"[The water runoff] has not entered anywhere else into sewer system, the water system or anywhere else," said Kistner.
A total of 10 first responders, three firefighters and seven police officers, were sent to the hospital after the fire was out, after having symptoms like irritation and trouble breathing.
"All of those are due to exposure from air inhalation. They are all at local hospitals. They are all stable, and they are under observation at this point," Kistner said.
Officials say they were taken to the hospital out of an abundance of caution.
There were no other reports of injuries.
Cause of Fire
Frisco Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said eight employees were inside at the time of the fire.
Investigators think the fire may have started just outside the building in a pallet of pool shock chemicals.
One employee was about to load chemicals onto a truck and noticed the fire.
"This looks like it was a chemical reaction that started outside the building on this pallet of material that they would sell to people who may want to buy the pool shock," Kistner said.
It spread to a truck parked by the dock and then to the building.
While the building suffered limited damage, its roof was significantly damaged.
All nearby businesses have been reopened.