Massive fire burns recycling plant in Ciudad Jurez
A fire broke out at a recycling plant on the outskirts of Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez on Wednesday, sending thick black smoke over the border city and into El Paso, Texas.
The Juarez municipal government said via Twitter that the fire was reported at 2:30 a.m. on a 911 call.
A black smoke cloud from the fire moved to parts of El Paso’s Lower Valley and Eastside.
Mayor Armando Cabada reported that there were no injuries, but he said the blaze was creating “environmental damage” with winds carrying the smoke northward.
Video from the scene that Cabada posted on his Facebook page showed firefighters attending to smoldering piles that Juarez civil defense chief Efren Matamoros described as highly flammable, compacted bales of plastic, cardboard and other material.
“When these bales catch fire, it is impossible to extinguish them until they consume themselves,” Cabada said.
He added that authorities were investigating whether the recycler is operating with the proper permits.
El Diario de Juárez reported the plant is located in the Granjas Santa Elena neighborhood, near the international airport in the southern part of Ciudad Juárez.
Authorities haven’t said what caused the fire.
ABC-7 is working to learn more. We’ll update this article as more information becomes available.
