Details unknown at this time
A fire of unknown origin engulfed the Portacool manufacturing facility in Center Saturday afternoon. Firefighting units from neighboring departments aided the Center Fire Department as they battled the blaze for several hours. The fire was still not under control at the time these pictures were published. Portacool was founded in Center in 1990 and sells portable evaporative cooling through a distributor network covering all 50 states and 56 countries abroad. No more information was available at 5:00 p.m. Saturday.
UPDATE:
A release from Portacool stated, “Today at approximately 2:45 p.m., there was a fire that swept through the Portacool manufacturing facility. This is currently being investigated. It has been confirmed that no one was in the plant at the time of the fire.
“The safety and well-being of our employees and surrounding neighbors are our top priority. As more information becomes available, we will provide updates.
Please keep the Portacool family in your prayers."
UPDATE June 18, 2023
A message from Jennifer Wyatt, Director, Human Resources, Portacool
The Portacool Family has experienced a fire in its Center, Texas Manufacturing Facility. The cause of the fire is still unknown. We can report that no one was in the building at the time of the fire and no injuries have been reported.
Portacool is partnering with the local and surrounding area fire departments. We will assess the total situation once the emergency response team and fire departments provide an all-clear.
All Portacool team members will need to call the employee hotline for updates.
Any external questions or concerns can be directed to Jennifer Wyatt, Director of HR for Portacool – communications@portacool.com - (936) 598-5651.
(Leon Aldridge and Andi Foster photos/The Light and Champion)