Southeast Houston fire fully out, air monitoring continues

HOUSTON - The Houston Fire Department is reporting the massive fire that caused a huge plume of smoke to fill the sky earlier this week is now completely out. 

Southeast Houston fire completely out, officials say

What we know:

Officials said the hazard has been mitigated. 

Authorities stated that the fire, which reached three alarms, does have air monitoring continuing in the area. 

What we don't know:

An investigation into what caused the fire remains ongoing. 

What they're saying:

In the statement, officials said: "This was a complex, multi-alarm operation, and our crews rose to meet it. Firefighters stretched thousands of feet of hose, drew from multiple hydrants, attacked the fire from above with multiple ladder pipes, deployed HazMat and drone teams, and worked seamlessly alongside our partner agencies, all in hot and demanding conditions. From the first units on scene to the last, this was a textbook example of training, coordination, and grit. Our members showed up and executed at the highest level. World-class work by everyone involved. Thank you to our partner agencies and to the residents for their patience as crews brought this incident to a safe close."

Houston Mayor reacts to massive fire during Council Meeting

Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed his thanks to the first responders who were on scene battling the blaze. 

Whitmire also stated that "we learned the owner probably can't meet his obligation of clean up, so this morning, we authorized for finance to find the funds for the fire department to contract with a clean up crew. But it should have never been there in the first place and that ought to be something that we don't forget any time soon."