Fire At Grand Prairie Plastics Plant May Burn Into Thursday

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A fire that started around midnight at a plastics plant in Grand Prairie may burn into Thursday.

The Grand Prairie Fire Department says an overhead power line fell onto plastic sheeting about midnight Wednesday morning at the Poly America plant near Bush Turnpike and Marshall Drive.

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The fire spread quickly, and crews from Dallas, Cedar Hill, Irving and DFW Airport responded to try to contain the fire and close roads nearby, including Bush Turnpike.

"I was really close. I could have actually walked up there and touched the fire," said one man who lives in the neighborhood just north of the plant. "It's hot, and the whole line is on fire."

Grand Prairie Fire says power line fell onto rolls of plastic, starting the fire. Crews from Dallas, Irving, Cedar Hill, DFW Airport helping. No one hurt & people are watching from a park nearby. “I could have walked up and touched the fire. It’s hot.” pic.twitter.com/tO2kyj23bC

— Alan Scaia (@scaia) August 19, 2020

People who live in the neighborhood filled a park, taking pictures and videos of the fire.

"There were people with lawn chairs close to the fire, taking pictures, selfies, doing everything. Then it went to blowing up, really big," another man said. "Everybody went to running, left shoes, chairs."

Firefighters say towers carrying high tension wires may collapse. TXDOT officials have closed Bush Turnpike/Hwy 161 because power lines may fall onto the highway. Power has been cut to some areas nearby.

#GRANDPRAIRIE: Bush Turnpike remains closed between Pioneer Pkwy and Main St because of a building fire on Marshall. #KRLDTRAFFIC #DFWTRAFFIC #TARRANTCOUNTY pic.twitter.com/CxoND55D2o

— KRLD Traffic (@krldtraffic) August 19, 2020

A rail car exploded, and crews were spraying water onto other rail cars and power lines near the factory.

"We're trying to cool them off," says Assistant Fire Chief Bill Murphy. "It's already twisted and had a little torsion on it. Anymore, and that's when it's going to collapse, and at some point it will. That metal's going to give."

Murphy says the cloud of smoke also led to some flights being rerouted at DFW Airport.

"All night long the smoke was going straight up," he says. "This plume goes high enough in the air, we are right in DFW's flight path."

No one has been hurt.