Houston chemical fire: Precautionary shelter-in-place issued after heavy smoke in Bellaire area, officials say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Public health officials issued a precautionary shelter-in-place after a chemical fire ignited in the Gulfton-Bellaire area on Saturday.

Firefighters began battling a fire at about 4:30 a.m. that heavily damaged a warehouse on Royalton Street.

An Eyewitness News viewer submitted a video near Elm Street that shows soot on the side of the warehouse. That’s just west of Rice Avenue, so residents might see a lot of smoke as crews work to put out the 3-alarm fire.

A tweet by the Houston Fire Department at 9:20 a.m. said no injuries had been reported. It asked people to avoid the area due to heavy traffic.

At about 10:35 a.m., officials issued the shelter-in-place, telling residents to “please monitor trusted sources of information for updates.”

Eyewitness News is gathering facts on this breaking news story. Watch ABC13 newscasts throughout the afternoon for live updates.