CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – One person has been reported dead as firefighters finish battling an early-morning industrial fire.
Jose De La Torre, a 53-year-old Corpus Christi resident, died of multiple internal injuries from the explosion at the Haas-Anderson Construction Inc. plant. He was an employee of Haas-Anderson Construction.
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Just before 4 a.m. Police, firefighters, EMS, and Hazmat were called out to an explosion near Corpus Christi International Airport.
A burner fuel tank exploded, leading to the fire, according to KRIS.
The explosion happened in the 6300 block of Hopkins Road. The original report stated multiple workers were in the area during the time of the explosion, one worker was killed and another was transported to the hospital with an injury to his knee.
Upon arrival, firefighters saw flames as high as 15 to 20 feet coming from the building. They performed defensive fire attacks, attempting to isolate or stabilize the fire to ensure it did not get worse. They were able to get the fire under control within an hour.
Hazmat was called out to the scene due to possible 'hazardous materials' being in the area of the explosion.
The plant will remain closed indefinitely as damaged is assessed, according to James Anderson, Vice President at Haas-Anderson.
The company is working on about 20 construction projects, including several road projects for TxDOT. Anderson says those projects will continue out of another plant the company owns in Gregory.