GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — Note: The video above is a story on the fire's impact on neighbors on Aug. 19.
Fallen power lines did not cause the fire at the Poly-America factory last week, the Grand Prairie Fire Department and Oncor said in separate statements Tuesday.
The massive fire that broke out around midnight on Aug. 19 could be seen for more than 40 miles around North Texas.
The Grand Prairie Fire Department says the investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing, but said that the power lines failed after the fire grew out of control and were not the cause.
When the fire first started, all of Oncor's lines were fully intact, above ground and in normal operation, the company said in their investigation released Tuesday afternoon.
"Oncor’s electrical infrastructure is designed to meet or exceed national safety codes and engineering standards," the company said in a statement. "Transmission towers are specifically built to not only support the thousands of pounds of power line weight, but to also withstand hazardous weather conditions, high winds and extreme temperatures."
Some nearby residents went without power as power lines were de-energized. Grand Prairie officials said they shut down roadways as a precaution against the possibility of power line towers pulling lines down over the roadway. The base of one of them buckled during the blaze.
Originally, on the morning of on Aug. 19, fire officials said they believed the blaze began after a power line from a 60-foot power line tower fell into the plastic inventory below. They said it could have been damaged somehow in Sunday night's storms.
On Tuesday, the fire department said they reviewed early photography and power failure timestamps to determine that the power lines failed once the fire grew out of control.
"While the intense size and heat of the fire did impact the immediate surrounding transmission towers and distribution facilities, power was fully restored for all impacted customers by late Wednesday night and construction efforts are underway to restore or replace damaged equipment," Oncor officials said in a statement.
No more power outages are expected.
Massive fire breaks out at Poly-America in Grand Prairie
The fire was extinguished 23 hours later after more than 100 Grand Prairie firefighters were deployed, along with mutual aid from Dallas, Fort Worth, DFW Airport, Irving, Jiont Naval Base, Duncanville and Cedar Hill.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is continuing to do the environmental cleanup and monitor the air, water and soil in the surrounding area.
"Mitigation and containment efforts were activated the night of the fire, and the runoff and fire remains are currently being cleaned or disposed," the fire department said.
No injuries were reported, according to officials.
"GPFD praises the hard work of the men and women that make up the Grand Prairie Fire Department as no injuries occurred, and multiple surrounding structures were saved," the department said.
