At least one person is injured after a massive explosion rocked a Sherwin-Williams plant in Texas on Monday morning.
A fire broke out at the Sherwin-Williams plant in Garland just before 1:30 a.m., leading to an explosion that could be felt miles away, Fox 4 News reported.
“All we saw was this big explosion, this big fireball. I mean, the whole plant at Sherwin Williams was engulfed in flames,” Dave Casper, an employee at the neighboring Aston Global, told the outlet. (RELATED: Dairy Farm Explosion Kills Almost 18,000 Cattle, Critically Injures 1 Person)
#BREAKING: As firefighters work to cool the surrounding plant, massive explosions erupted. This was done at the Sherwin-Williams facility in #Garland, #Texas, United States. pic.twitter.com/6B63PFADu3
— EvoCentral (@evocentralnews) August 7, 2023
Other nearby residents reported multiple explosions, telling NBCDFW News the tremendously loud booms shook them awake.
“I heard a loud boom, followed by multiple loud booms. I lost count at over 15. And big bellows of smoke from fireballs rising from the plant,” local Jim Norris told the outlet. “Just right here at the corner, you could feel the heat from the fire.”
Another resident told the outlet the scene was terrifying as the sky kept lighting up a “bright fiery red-orange,” adding that the air was rife with the smell of paint.
“You could smell it. If you know what paint smells like when you paint a house — that was what it smelled like,” the resident told the outlet.
James Dugger of the Garland Fire Department informed residents that despite the paint odor there were no air quality issues to report at present, but noted hazmat crews with Richardson Fire Department had been called to monitor the situation. Dugger also said that the Garland Health and Water Departments have been tasked to monitor the water runoff from the factory to assess any risk to public health, according to NBCDFW News.
Officials warned residents to stay clear of the area and to remain indoors, if possible, out of an abundance of caution, Fox 4 News reported.
Fire officials revealed that the blaze and explosions injured one person, an employee. Responders treated him at the scene and then transported him to a local hospital for minor injuries, Fox 4 news reported.
Firefighters contained the fire by 6 a.m., though crews were still on the scene managing hot spots, the outlet stated.
An investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing.