Cleanup efforts are anticipated to continue until Thursday night and possibly into Friday morning following the inadvertent release of fire suppression foam around 5:30 a.m. at one of the United Airlines hangars situated along a public service road at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.
The incident occurred adjacent to the flight attendant training facility, just off Wright Road. The foam spilled onto nearby parking lots, fences, posts, vehicles, and a section of the public Wright Road, prompting the Houston Fire Department to respond.
Houston Assistant Fire Chief Mike Mire, along with other HFD officials, noted that the foam reached heights of up to 30 feet due to its high expansion properties. Crews worked tirelessly to apply a defoaming agent to the foam.
While the foam used is a newer, environmentally friendly variant that does not contain PFAS, a harmful class of chemicals previously common in aviation fire suppression foam, firefighters remain cautious about its potential impact on the environment. They are taking measures to prevent the foam from entering Houston waterways.
HFD Assistant Chief Terry Colburn highlighted that hangars housing airplanes often utilize such fire suppression systems to swiftly extinguish fires, emphasizing that no individuals or aircraft were present inside the hangar during the incident.
