Huge 7-alarm warehouse fire in Houston in 1995 

Legend has it that fire is still going and the firemen are still scratching themselves and waiting for water

I worked down the street, approximately 50 yards from the Houston Distribution Center and I remember this fire. Yes, the center was storing different chemicals throughout the warehouse and there was a need to find out exactly what was being stored before any attempt to put water on the fire. As a result their was contamination surrounding the soil around the building and into the neighborhood right behind the distribution center. A class action lawsuit was filed against the Distribution Center from the residential community because of the contamination, several people became sick, etc. I remember that for approximately 2 years after, the area was off-limits, they had boarded up the area with a large wooden picket fence and started doing soil removal.

Outstanding video quality for 1995.

Love how the people watching it are so calm

Man this vhs camcorder was bomb. Higher quality than some videos today.

I’m not a fire fighter but clearly the fire crew had a massive task in putting out this fire. So I’m not here to give advise or criticise as I’m leaving that to the high number of ‘experts’ leaving messages. Although I would like to say keep up the good work to the fire service.

Houston, we have a problem.

It's amazing how slow these fireman move

All because someone couldn't return the Red Swingline Stapler...

Let me explain this to you so a lot of you will understand. I live in the neighborhood behind those warehouses. That Saturday morning I was cutting the yard. The sky went black all of a sudden. I got scared be cause one side of the sky was blue and the other side was black. The reason why the fire department was so slow to react was because there was a massive explosion. I didn't hear it...possibly due to mowing my yard...but it had to been because the fireball was HUGE. it blocked the sun. The fire was so large that I thought it was coming from the local middle school...which is about halfway between my house and the warehouses. At the end of my side street near a park you can SEE the flames about maybe half a mile away. Fun fact: they were storing solid rocket motor fuel (powdered aluminum) there. It reignited twice over the course of some weeks... From my understanding there were not enough watermains in the area for a fire (7 alarm) that size. Furthermore...nobody would confess what they were storing 20 yards away from a residential community so HFD were hesitant to just throw water on it...might have made it worse.

I have a question. Why is it that EVERYONE assumes there is nothing being done, when you can ONLY see part of the building from one angle? You can't see ANYTHING going on on the left side of the building, the back, or even the far right. ???

3:07 'we're gonna be here for awhile' ..... Are you waiting for it to rain? . Is it out yet?

For those wondering why the FD was waiting, it's safer to wait for the foam to arrive and then attempt to extinguish. Just dumping water on it will spread the chemicals without really doing much to reduce the BTU's. The foam will work to smother the fire and blanket the chemicals to extinguish with significantly less water volume and the attendant pollution run-off problems.

I don't understand rushing down the road, blowing sirens and air horns to get there, and then when they get there, they walk around waiting for the hotdogs to arrive?

I hope they had a smoke detector installed to warn people it was on fire! 🥴😂

Wow look how black that smoke is, I wouldn’t be getting any closer to the building that’s for sure!

A fire engine with a Detroit!? Fuck yea!

It's like the gates of Hell opened in that one building.

This is what you call a stucco foam building! A tornado would wipe it out as well

Absolutely nothing you can do with a large fire like that but allow it too burn it’s fuel off to a point where you can attack it .

I like how calm the people are 😂

Did the place have a sprinkler system?

6:02 minute video and I didn't see one drop of water sprayed until 4 and a half minutes into the video. Were they waiting for the fire to burn itself out ????

I remember this fire.

i don't get it... firemen response time is lightning fast but when they arrived at the scene they are taking there time

FIREMEN aren't doing a DAMN THING to put this FIRE OUT!!!

Hey, can I please use this in our upcoming film?

That's more air pollution then my car would ever give off.

i mean at the start it looked like 1 of the firemen was drinking a beer

FD probably knew what was in the building. Company made greases and other lubricants and use of water would most likely just spread the fire. This fire also must have a very high heat output which most likely water wouldn't be enought to stop it. So I would say just protect what's not burning and let the hazard burn itself out. Evacuate area until smoke clears.

Must have been an incredible fire load!

The camera quality is better than my iphone one

Don't see much firefighting in this video.

The fire departments just driving around.

Is this fire still burning ?

Were BLM at it back then too?

20 years from now electric fire trucks? Naaaa.

God bless those heroes

dont put water on a FIRE!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO

ROFLMAO “the Salvation Army has sandwiches waiting for us”….. Houston Fire Dept, “we’ll show up bring som ribs & have a cookout”..great job guys.

Sorry, it’s time for our 15 minute break. We’ll be at Denny’s

My grandpa remembers this fire he told me about it. Why do The Houston fire trucks look the same?

What’s a 7 alarm fire in Houston

Stand around and see if it puts itself out!!

The sun: I can’t ever win if it’s not a fire it’s a cloud

Ladder 45 to command, where's the fire?

It’s a pretty clear video for 1995

Lots of people walking around. Anybody planning to put some water on it?

Air quality must have been ruined that day

I made the mistake once of trying to drive a few miles to get closer to a fire, a curiosity thing. I'll never do that again, traffic seriously backed up, redirected, it was a mess.

Is it out yet?

WAS THERE A WATER SHORTAGE ?????

how did it develop so without intervention ?

Fireman just standing around

I don't think I would be standing so close, dilly-dallying as a potential conflagration was right in front of me.

Those are some tired looking firefighters.

they got some sandwiches and stuff.

does anyone know if people were hurt in this fire?

There is a fire this size I JUST witnessed in Utica mi. It was huge!

That's awful the Houston fire standing around while the place burns

80 % of that water on the ground wasnt run off , it was sweat

why call the fire dept. ? they arent doing anytjing.

you are reckless to let tourists who are not firefighters get so close to the fuel fire! you make me think of people oblivious to danger. have you ever seen a gasoline tank explode and the diameter of fire around the tank?

I have never even heard of a 7 alarm wow I thought 4 was the most

everybody dressed fresh af in 1995 sheesh

Wow ,thats amazing 😳

Are they going to pull the pistols or just stand around whistling Dixie!!?

At the start it looks like they have more water in the parking lot than on the fire....

Texas knows how to barbecue!

Why does it take so long to began putting water on fire.

let it burn...go back to the station...have some ice cream

Shouldn't have put that mix tape on in the office.

Why is it that the American Fire Brigade always walk around watching the fire being out of control and no hoses on the go😡🤬

Why in the world are the aerial trucks setting idle?

Why does it seem like the guys just looking at the burning structure for a while before the hoses are used?

Why even call the fire department anyone can stand around and watch. Your supposed to put the wet stuff on the red stuff

Oh my Daisy

Not much fire fighting going on.

Beg my pardon, But why don’t they just go back to the station and go back to sleep!!!

No se si es porque prácticamente se quemó el inmueble ; pero me parecen demasiado lentos los bomberos 🚒

how did it start the fire

This is still the era when >>men

That smoke is Chubby chubby chubby

Lmao fire fighters look like there to full to fight the fire , full from a happymeal

Get a main hose line on and start attacking the fire.EARN YOUR PAYCHECK

Are the firefighters waiting for the fire to get bigger before they put it Out!!!!!

at 01. 35 aren't they going to bother ?

No looting?

yet another video where firefighters are moving slower then my grandma. I was a wildland firefighter and we moved faster then this to save trees and bushes let alone someones property.

No one gave you a hard time about filming this?

Huge conflagration fires like this sometimes they wright off and fight only what they think can be saved. With this fire in 1995 they may not have had enough water supply in the area to combat such a fire load plus probably no fire sprinklers

it looks as if the houston distribution co won’t be distributing anything for a while! what was in there to make all that black smoke and those fireballs? definitely a losing situation for firefighters! in any event, a nice video of a very dangerous fire.

this just in...25 years later the fire is out!

At 0:11 is that a Firetruck or a Firestation siren ?

Lentos, indecisos, dudibativos, lamentable. Perder 10 minutos antes de atacer el incendio es absurdo, llegan a remojar las brasas.

It looks like some of these firefighters are on vacation here

,eu não entendo tem tanto treinamento,chega na hora demora, guando decide apaga ,aí já era o fogo já consumiu com tudo

We are not putting water on fire, we have to water the street

Video is from 26 years ago and it looks like it was recorded 2 days ago 😂😂

Looks like a volcano