ECTOR COUNTY, Texas — It's been several months since a large fire broke out at Permian Basin Containers, LLC (PBC) in Ector County.
On Aug. 26, some nearby residents and a business filed a lawsuit against the owners of the PBC, alleging the owners ignored years of safety and health complaints from the residents near the site. The lawsuit claims that when the residents got a response back from PBC, they said the large plastic containers stockpiled at the site posed no threat because they were either empty or contained water.
The lawsuit states that the fire on July 23 melted storage containers, releasing contents that created a "chemical soup" that would spread through the neighborhood.
According to the lawsuit, at the time of the blaze, PBC told residents that the fire posed no health threat. However, residents experienced nausea, strange sensations in their noses and throats, burning eyes and headaches so bad they've required emergency care.
On Sept. 27, the PBC filed its Original Answer to the lawsuit that accuses Permian Basin Containers of gross negligence, resulting in emergency evacuations and unleashing massive quantities of cancer-causing chemicals following the fire.
Included in the General Denial, the defendants, "respectfully request that Plaintiffs be required to prove the charges and allegations against Defendants by a preponderance of the evidence as is required by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas."
Permian Basin Containers LLC, as well as other defendants, went on to demand a jury trial.
As of Oct. 10, the PBC has continued to cooperate with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as it continues its investigation.
Read PBC's full response to the lawsuit below: