Once it got into the tank farm, one or more of the tanks ruptured, and then the fire just ran with the oil, Pearland Fire Marshal and Emergency Management Coordinator Larry Steed said. It was pretty much what youd expect from a fire with exploding hydrocarbons.

Established in 1987, Third Coast is a contract blender of automotive and industrial lubricants and antifreeze. The company employs approximately 90 people. No one was injured by the fire. Approximately 100 neighbors were evacuated from their homes overnight.

According to Steed, firefighting efforts were hampered by the lack of sprinklers or nearby hydrants. Neither were in place because the plant is located in an unincorporated area just outside of Pearland, a city on the south side of Houston.

If it had been in the city, they would have been subject to codes requiring a fire protection system, Steed said. As it was, there wasnt even a hydrant for the firefighters to hook up to, so they had to tank in all of their water. It took a while to get everything set up.

Firefighting crews from as far as 50 miles away had to form relays, filling tanker trucks at a hydrant more than a mile from the plant and then rushing to the scene, Steed said. It took them four hours to bring the blaze under control and more than a day and a half to completely extinguish it.

Steed said the fire did not appear to have been set deliberately. Investigators are exploring the possibility that it may have started with greasy cleaning rags disposed of outside a warehouse. The final shift checked out at 11:30 p.m. April 30. The fire was discovered by a security guard two hours later in front of the warehouse.

Steed said he did not know the value of the damage. A 250,000-square-foot building was destroyed, along with 91 tanks.