The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is actively monitoring the impacts of the fire at the Poly-America plant in Grand Prairie.

TCEQ was notified at 8:23 a.m. by Poly-America of the fire which was caused by a power line that fell and ignited plastic sheeting in a storage area.

TCEQ emergency staff arrived on scene at approximately 9:40 a.m. TCEQ personnel are assisting the local Incident Command and conducting off-site air monitoring for volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. Additionally, the TCEQ has activated contractors to serve as a force multiplier to assist with off-site air monitoring in the surrounding area. Staff will continue to monitor around the site as necessary as the incident continues.

Local officials also reached out to the EPA to request air monitoring support. The EPA has activated contractors and deployed its Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) to fly over the area.

As of 12:45 p.m., TCEQ had not detected any immediate health concerns at ground level. Monitoring activities were ongoing late Wednesday.

Grand Prairie and local fire departments are on site conducting firefighting responses. At present, this is still an active emergency response event, and TCEQ’s role is to assist and coordinate with local governmental agencies and the EPA for response actions.

After the fire is extinguished and the site is safe to access, TCEQ will monitor any cleanup warranted by the responsible party and ensure that any impacted areas are handled appropriately.

Updated information will be posted to TCEQ’s social media accounts (Twitter and Facebook) as it becomes available.