CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Sustained winds of 30-40MPH prompted a structure fire in the 4900 block of Cain Drive to be elevated from a single-alarm fire to a two-alarm fire Friday afternoon.
Corpus Christi Fire Department Chief Brandon Wade said the call came in reporting the fire at about 11:55 a.m., and after following the heavy smoke in the air near the intersection of Holly and Everhart roads, they found a large structure burning. Wade said he believes the building is a woodworking or mechanical workshop.
"We successfully put the fire out," he said. "It took about 20 minutes. We did call a second alarm due to the large amount of fire and the number of exposed buildings. We didn't end up using the second alarm units, but we had them en route just in case we needed them."
He said the wind was a large part of why a second alarm was called.
"The wind doesn't cause the fires, but what can happen -- like in this case -- is it increases the spread of fire," he said. "It goes much quicker, so the firefighters have to be faster at getting the hose lines out and extinguish it because we don't want that spread. And, again, large amounts of fire can throw the embers -- when we have winds like this -- to neighboring properties."
He said crews still will be at the scene to make sure nothing flares up, and to determine the cause of the fire.
"The fire is under investigation with our arson division, but at this time, we don't see anything that would push this that it would be an intentional fire," he said. "It's just standard procedure to have our arson division to come out and try to investigate the cause."
More from 3News on KIIITV.com:
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for your daily news and exclusive extended interviews.
Do you have a news tip? Tell 3!
Email tell3@kiiitv.com so we can get in touch with you about your story should we have questions or need more information. We realize some stories are sensitive in nature. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.