A late-night inferno ripped through a pallet yard in the Las Colonias area of Clint on Monday, sending a thick plume of smoke across east El Paso County and triggering a large multi-agency response. Firefighters stayed on scene into the early morning hours, working to knock down stubborn flames and protect nearby properties. Local officials urged drivers and residents to steer clear while crews were still in active operations.
In a Facebook update, the Horizon Fire Department said multiple departments had converged on the pallet yard and were focused on fully extinguishing remaining hot spots. The department repeated its request that the public avoid the Las Colonias area of Clint so firefighters and equipment could move safely and quickly through the scene.
Road Closures And Evacuations
According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, cited by KVIA, the 15700 and 15200 blocks of Colonia Granja Road and the 2200 block of S. Ascension were shut down because of the fire. Deputies said the owner of the affected business, who lives nearby, was safely evacuated. No injuries were reported, and officials said the blaze was contained to a single business while fire crews continued working the perimeter and remaining hot spots.
Why Firefighters Had Their Hands Full
Pallet and recycling yard fires are notoriously hard to kill off. Stacks of tightly packed wooden pallets create a massive fuel load that can burn hot on the surface and smolder for hours underneath. As Firehouse has reported in coverage of similar Texas incidents, departments often bring in extra pumpers, long hose lays, portable monitors, and heavy equipment to tear apart burning piles and prevent rekindles. That kind of resource-heavy strategy helps explain why so many agencies were called in and why crews stayed on scene well into the night in Clint…