Sherwin-Williams plant explosion: City of Garland, EPA continue contamination cleanup after plant fire

GARLAND, Texas - The cleanup continues after a Sherwin-Williams plant in Garland exploded earlier this week.

On Friday, officials from City of Garland, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Sherwin-Williams gave an update on the response to the fiery explosion and the cleanup efforts that have followed.

"We regret the concern the event has caused for many in the community," Sherwin Williams spokesman Christopher Conley said.

In the first official assessment, we’re learning the company will likely face consequences because it did not report the fiery incident and chemical release to the proper federal authorities in a timely manner.

"The typical notification happens with the company. It’s responsible for calling the national response center as soon as they know there is a potential release," said Eric Delgado, with the EPA. "The company did not notify the national response center until 9:05 in the morning the following day."

The EPA said Sherwin-Williams reported run-off from firefighting, but not a complete description of what happened.

"It wasn’t until we talked to TCEQ, and talked to the city of Garland, and they said this is bigger than what’s been reported. That’s when we came out to start doing some further investigation," Delgado added.

It was Monday, at about 1 a.m., when people in homes miles away were shaken awake by the multiple blasts at the plant, prompting a response of firefighters on 16 fire vehicles, who managed to contain and extinguish the flames within two hours.

One Sherwin-Williams worker was treated at the scene and then later taken to the hospital for minor injuries. All others evacuated safely.

"The safety and security of all citizens has been our top priority from the very beginning and it will remain our top priority as the cleanup continues," Garland City Manager Judsen Rex said.

Sherwin-Williams said it does not yet have a timeline for employees returning to work, as it focuses on emergency cleanup regarding air quality and water safety.

"We are committed to doing the right things as we respond to it and build on the strength of our long-standing relationship with the city of Garland and get through this together," Conley said.

"We were looking for houses in the area, and once we saw the backyard and the creek, that was it," recalled Jonathan Dehn.

Dehn and his wife have lived along Duck Creek in Garland for seven years. 

The view from their backyard sealed the deal. 

But during their usual dog walks this week, the view has been different. 

"The foam in the creek and the dead critters and stuff like that," Dehn said.

Clean up from Monday’s Sherwin-Williams plant explosion now will continue into the weekend. 

The city of Garland said more than 700,000 gallons of water have been pumped out of affected creeks to remove foam fire retardant from the plant’s suppression system. 

The run off is now being collected just steps away from Dehn’s home. 

"Setting up the dam down there and restricting the water flow," Dehn explained.

"As you may know, water, foam, and other hazardous substances were not properly contained during the firefighting efforts," Delgado said.

Impacted creeks include more than 17 miles, from the intersection of Shiloh and Miller Roads to the East Fork of the Trinity River.

Dead fish have been seen in the creeks.

The City of Garland asked people to avoid fishing or going into affected creeks.

"Don’t play in the water, don’t fish. I will tell you we are performing air monitoring along there, so there’s not an immediate threat to any public health or anything like that, but out of an abundance of caution, we are asking people not to go and swim and fish," Delgado said.

Since the explosion, the EPA has conducted fly overs to monitor the safety of the air.

Officials said sanitation systems and city drinking water have not been affected.

The air quality was also tested. 

According to the EPA and TCEQ, the readings were not of any concern. 

However, samples plan to be taken from 45 water miles of surrounding waterways, starting from the intersection of Shiloh and Miller roads, and extending to the East Fork Trinity River. 

The EPA has made a website with all data related to creek cleanup and air quality testing.