College Station Fire Department Providing Mutual Aid To Gas Plant Fire In Bellville

11:00 a.m. update:

The Austin County sheriff’s office has announced a five mile evacuation around the Western International Gas & Cylinders plant in Bellville.

The fire and related explosions previously closed Highway 159 between Bellville and Hempstead.

No one was hurt.

The College Station fire department is providing mutual aid to what a spokesman describes as a “major hazmat and fire incident”. CSFD is sending 13 people and the department’s hazardous materials truck, a fire truck, a water tender, and a support vehicle.

Original story:

BELLVILLE, Texas (AP) _ Authorities say nobody has been hurt in a fire at a gas and cylinders company in Central Texas that’s prompted nearby residents to evacuate as a precaution.

Police in Bellville on Tuesday posted an advisory on Facebook that a fire at Western International Gas & Cylinders led to the closure of Highway 159 east. Police had no time frame on when the fire, reported around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, would be out.

The Austin County Sheriff’s Office ordered an evacuation within a mile of the plant in Bellville, a town of about 4,200 located 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Houston.

Officials are seeking the cause of the fire at Western International, which provides bulk gases such as acetylene.

Sheriff Jack Brandes said Highway 159 was closed from Bellville to Hempstead.

Screen shot from the Austin County sheriff’s office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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