Overview
- The blaze started at Mammoth Metal Recycling and grew from a large pile of tires, trash and debris, sending thick black smoke over the East End and drawing about 100 firefighters who rotated through the scene to contain hotspots.
- Arson investigators with the Houston Fire Department are working to determine the cause and have not filed criminal charges related to the fire.
- Federal, state and local agencies including the TCEQ, EPA, U.S. Coast Guard and Harris County Environmental Response are monitoring air and water and advising residents to limit outdoor exposure because burning tires release fine particles, carbon monoxide and heavy metals.
- Reporting and public records show Mammoth lacked a current TCEQ scrap-tire registration and did not have a City of Houston scrap-tire permit, and an HFD source said the company had been cited twice recently for illegal burning.
- Court and federal records tie the site and its operators to years of delinquent tax suits, default judgments and a 2023 federal PPP/loan fraud indictment with guilty pleas by some defendants and pending sentencing.