Official: Fire at Rivers Recycling in Kilgore could burn 2 or 3 days (2024)

Kilgore Fire Marshal Ryan Riley said a fire that started Wednesday evening at the Rivers Recycling facility could burn for two to three days, but no immediate public safety threat exists.

Kilgore firefighters responded to the property, 298 FM 1252 W, at 5:58 p.m. Wednesday, Riley said. Upon arrival, crews found the east end of the facility's main building was fully engulfed in flames. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the structure.

Firefighters worked into the night Wednesday to contain the blaze, as extinguishing the fire is challenging because of its size— and because of a lack of fire hydrants in the rural area, Riley said.

Crews from Kilgore, White Oak and Sabine were at the scene, as well as Gregg County Sheriff's Office deputies.

The facility contains cardboard and plastic, which will continue to burn, Riley said. He said he doesn’t expect the fire to create any public health concerns.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has been notified of the blaze and was expected to conduct air quality monitoring.

Jason Skinner, Rivers Recycling's general manager, said employees left at 5 p.m. Wednesday, and "everything was good."

About an hour later, he learned about the fire.

No one was at the facility when the fire started, Skinner said, adding that "I can't wrap my mind around it right now."

The city of Longview announced Wednesday evening that curbside recycling will be paused indefinitely because of the damage at Rivers Recycling.

Contents placed in curbside recycling carts will be taken to the landfill with regular trash, according to the city.

The main metal building at the facility was destroyed by the blaze, and a semi-truck trailer was on fire as well. The building is roughly 37,000 square feet, according to online property records from the Gregg County Appraisal District.

Firefighters worked to prevent an office building on the property from sustaining damage, spraying water on it to keep it cool.

Cars lined parts of the road near the facility, and employees watched the blaze from the road. Several yards west of the entrance,Jayla Thomaschaske, BraydenThomaschaske and Takayah Wilson watched as smoke rolled into the East Texas sky.

The Thomaschaskes' father works at the facility, Jayla Thomaschaske said, and she was frightened when she learned that the building had caught on fire.

"At the time, I didn't know if they were at work or what was going on," she said. "I rushed down here, and I got here, and all I seen was flames— a lot of flames, big flames.

"What was going through my head was, 'I hope my dad's not in there.'"

She was relieved to learn that employees had left the facility about an hour before the fire was reported, she said.