Multiple firefighting crews responded to a fire in La Blanca, authorities confirmed Thursday.
The fire started at approximately 3:30 p.m. at a junkyard along State Highway 107, just east of Farm-to-Market Road 493, Edcouch City Manager Victor Hugo de la Cruz said.
Crews from the Edcouch and Elsa fire departments began battling the blaze before other departments responded, he said.
The Weslaco Fire Department was also on scene providing mutual aid in the form of a 2,000-gallon tanker truck and the city’s ambulance bus, Weslaco Fire Chief Antonio “Tony” Lopez said.
Dozens more firefighters from Monte Alto, La Villa, Edinburg, Mercedes, La Feria, Donna and Alamo responded to the fire, according to Edcouch Fire Chief Victor Nieves.
Crews from Hidalgo County Precincts 1 and 4, as well as the Hidalgo County Emergency Management office also responded.
Though the fire did not spread over a wide area, the conflagration nonetheless became a behemoth as junked automobiles caught fire, the chief said.
“It was not big in terms of acres, it was the recycling site here in La Blanca … Semis, cars, buses all lit up at the same time,” Nieves said several hours after crews had gotten the blaze under control.
Residents of nearby homes were advised to evacuate due to the amount of smoke in the air, Nieves said. But by 7:45 p.m., the all-clear had been given.
At one point, the fire threatened to engulf a neighboring vacant, brushy lot, as well as a cemetery, but crews were able to contain it before that happened, the chief said.
Some 60 to 70 firefighters responded to the scene, as did the Hidalgo County Fire Marshal’s Office, which was still investigating the cause of the blaze Thursday night, Nieves said.
The chief clarified earlier reports that a firefighter had been transported to a local hospital.
“There are no injuries reported at this time,” Nieves said as a small number of firefighters remained on scene to put out hotspots.
Nieves thanked the various departments who responded to the fire, saying it took “an immense amount of coordination” to get the scene under control.
“It was a great effort put together,” he said.
