VIDEO: Fire Cleanup in Houston

HOUSTON, Miss. (WCBI News) – As things wind down in Houston after a thirteen hour long factory fire, officials and residents prepare to clean the debris from the destruction, and hopefully rid the area of harmful chemicals released from the foam that was stored inside.

Millions of pounds, two-point two to be exact, of foam was burned on Friday from a cause that is still unknown to officials. The facility has been demolished, and now all that is left is the pick up the debris.

From the front of the old textile factory in Houston, it doesn’t look as bad, but from behind it’s a different story.

The burning of the millions of pounds of foam destroyed nearly everything inside, and this comes as a surprise to some residents because it was unknown to some that the foam was there to begin with.

“I was shocked. I really didn’t think anything was in that building, since nobody has used it in so long,” said Houston resident Sky Pettit.

Crews and officials came earlier Sunday to tear down the facility, looking for signs of smoldering.

After finding none and concluding that a fire could not restart, the fire was officially declared extinguished.

It took nearly thirteen hours and around five-million gallons of water to take the fire out on Friday, but the lasting effect has residents worried.

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“Well, mainly what that stuff is bad for is the environment, you know. And then, like, stuff like that happening, and then you don’t want nobody getting sick,” said Houston resident Anthony Ezell.

“I was kind of nervous. I was asking people what was going on, and everyone had told me that the old textile factory or whatever had burned down,” said Pettit.

The fumes from the fire carried harmful gases, and they were traveling into town to homes and businesses. It got to where Pettit’s employer took precautions to make sure everyone was protected.

“He made all of us wear facemasks, since it was getting into the store, and he didn’t want us to breathe it in,” continued Pettit.

Now that the fire is officially out, the cleanup can take place.

Hopefully the community will be rid of the harmful chemicals and gases that came from the fire.

“We only have one Earth, so we got to take care of it while we can,” said Pettit.

The cleanup of all of the foam and scrap metal from the demolition is scheduled for tomorrow.