CHANNELVIEW, Texas – Four firefighters required medical attention Monday while battling a grain silo fire at a plant in Channelview.
The fire was first reported about 11 p.m. Sunday at the Cargill plant on Peninsula Street.
According to tweets from the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, four firefighters were hospitalized after suffering heat exhaustion.
“There are stairs and that's the only way to get up, and it's about ten stories high, so they had to climb all those stairs and in Houston humidity and it was pretty warm this morning, plus the stairs and all the gear they have to carry,” said HCFMO spokeswoman Rachel Moreno.
Three Channelview firefighters were treated and released. A Houston firefighter remained hospitalized and required additional treatment for smoke inhalation.
Investigators determined a conveyor belt on the top of the silo malfunctioned and caused the fire.