Texas packaging plant burns out of control

Flames shoot skyward from a burning chemical plant near Houston, Texas.

PEARLAND, Texas (CNN) -- A powerful fire burning out of control at a Texas packaging plant could take days to extinguish, the Houston fire chief told CNN Wednesday.

The blaze at Third Coast Industries just outside Houston started around 1:30 a.m. (2:30 a.m. EDT) in a storage warehouse, fire officials said.

"The fire is under control as much as we can control it," Houston Fire Chief Jack Williams said. "We're trying to keep it confined to that one area."

The plant contained motor oil, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid and antifreeze, said Larry Dodson, a plant employee. Dodson was turned away from the area by a police roadblock on his way into work.

Williams said the main concern was runoff, potentially laced with chemicals from the plant, from water used to control the fire.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO A chemical plant erupted in flames prompting authorities to evacuate about 100 people from their homes near Houston, Texas. Play video

"If we put a bunch of water on this fire, obviously we'll have a bunch of runoff that we'll have to control," the chief said. "So we're just going to let it burn out and control that runoff. It'll probably take two to three days to put this fire out."

Fire officials said about 100 families were evacuated because of the hazards from the heavy smoke spewing from the raging fire. A hazardous materials team was on the scene.

Williams said one home near the plant was destroyed by the blaze, but the family left before the fire touched the house.

Video of the blaze showed explosions, huge flames and heavy smoke.

The fire is not under control, but firefighters have managed to keep it from spreading despite the lack of fire hydrants in the area, Williams said. Firefighters expanded ditches around the plant to contain the blaze, he said.

Because the fire is in a desolate area, it is not posing too much of a risk to residents. Williams said the conditions are still too dangerous to send in firefighters.

"We're not going to put firefighters in there, even with good water supplies," Williams said.

The plant is in a rural area near Clover Field Airport, about 16 miles southeast of downtown Houston. About three or four acres of the 15-acre tract containing the chemical plant are on fire, Williams said.

Although he said the air quality is not dangerous at this time, he advised people nearby to stay inside.