NRG's Knox on Fort Bend County power plant fire: 'There is no danger to the community'

Authorities are investigating the cause of Sunday's (May 8) fire at an NRG power plant in Fort Bend County that required about 100 firefighters to extinguish, according to a report from Houston NBC affiliate KPRC.

The fire broke out at approximately 11:40 p.m. at the WA Parish Generating Station at 2500 Y.U. Jones Rd. near Thompsons, KPRC reported.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that an NRG spokesperson said that it took firefighters more than five hours to battle the blaze.

The company's David Knox said that the fire started at one of the plant's coal stations, KPRC reported.

According to NRG, with Unit 8 offline, other Houston plants are working to ensure that demand is met as temperatures soar, per the station.

KPRC reported that Unit 8 provides power to as much as 12,000 residences on a hot day while its home facility accounts for approximately 4% of the state's power grid that's managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

Knox reassured the public that the fire and its aftermath pose no danger.

“Everything is secure," he said, per KPRC. "There is no danger to the community. There is no danger to the environment. We made sure all of our employees are accounted for, all of them are safe, no injuries.”

The station reported that WA Parish Generating Station is the country's second-largest conventional power plant.

According to KHOU, the firefighters at the site represented 20 agencies, among them the Houston Fire Department (HFD).

The Fort Bend County Fire Marshal's Office (FBCFMO) said on its Facebook page that in addition to the fire, the county's hazmat unit addressed a gas leak in the 3200 block of FM 1463 on Monday morning.

Drivers were urged to avoid the area in an effort to minimize traffic delays, per the FBCFMO.