Neighboring Chemical Fire Causing Bad Air Quality at Disney World and Central Florida

by Kristin Sabol · January 30, 2024

A neighboring Central Florida chemical fire temporarily caused bad air quality for surrounding areas and Walt Disney World. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue crews battled a massive fire in Plant City, Florida early this morning.

Plant City is located about 45 miles past Walt Disney World and 25 miles from Tampa.

The fire started after a “barn full of chemicals” caught flames early this morning.

Fire and emergency crews were dispatched to Reece Road in Plant City round 5:28 a.m. They received numerous reports and 911 calls from locals stating a heavy fire was coming from a nearby barn full of chemicals.

Working Fire in Local Town

According to a local press release and HCFR Facebook page, units saw a “large column of smoke” from a distance and called it a working fire.

Crews responded to a 2,000-square-foot barn engulfed in flames. Local residents told officials that no one was inside the barn.

At the scene, crews deployed handlines and used multiple engines to fight the blaze from outside the barn. It took firefighters about 25 minutes to put out the fire and no one was injured.

HCFR’s hazmat team determined there were no hazards related to the chemicals that were in the barn.

Local areas, including Walt Disney World, were only temporarily impacted by the smoke and emergency situation. Fire investigators were unable to determine what caused the fire at this time.