WALLER COUNTY, Texas — One person was injured in an explosion at a propane production facility in Waller County on Wednesday afternoon, according to emergency officials.
It happened around 12:30 p.m. at the RapidXchange Production Facility on FM 529 in Brookshire, about 10 miles north of I-10.
As of 3:30 p.m., the Waller County Fire Marshal's Office said the fire was under control and the grass fire surrounding the facility was completely contained.
Smoke from the fire could be seen on Houston TranStar cameras from the Katy Freeway and workers at businesses around the area said they saw thick black smoke and fire shooting from the building. Workers were present at the facility at the time of the explosion and said they weren't exactly sure what happened, but when the initial blast took place, all employees were told to evacuate.
Air 11 video showed widespread destruction at the facility, including hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of burning propane tanks as well as fires burning in grass fields surrounding the facility. According to officials, the grass fires spread to about 30 acres and windy and dry conditions made things more difficult.
Officials said the incident began during a propane transfer from bottle to bottle. They said that when they got to the scene, the fire had spread and propane bottles were exploding one after the other.
Initially, no injuries were reported but officials later said one person was injured but is expected to be OK.
Authorities said the air quality was good and there were no evacuation orders issued.