ROSCOE — Fire at a cotton gin here early Friday morning caused approximately $850,000 loss in cotton, according to Sweetwater Fire Department Chief Grant Madden.
Madden said an unknown cause sparked a bur pile at the Central Rolling Plains Co-Op at about 2 a.m. Friday.
With strong winds in the area as a cold front approached, causing gusts up to 40 mph, Madden said embers quickly scattered, catching nearby modules of cotton on fire. The resulting inferno created an eerie scene caught on videos posted to the Sweetwater Fire Department's Facebook page.
Madden said his department, along with volunteer firefighters from Roscoe and the Snyder Fire Department, battled the flames while workers from the co-op scrambled to save some of the product before it was all engulfed in flame.
"It was a big team effort," Madden said. "The men from the gin were very professional, very good at their jobs. They did a good job moving those modules that weren't on fire out while we were trying to hold off there. They did an extremely good job moving and making fire breaks for us."
Madden said the original call was for a structure fire. After arriving, the firefighters quickly realized it was the cotton outside the gin that was in danger. They used some of their heavy-duty equipment to push modules away from the fire, while the gin workers used their machinery to move them as well.
They worked to keep the fire from spreading to new modules and cut losses, Madden said.
There was no structure damage, and no injuries reported, according to authorities.
The fire is expected to continue burning at least into Saturday as crews were unable to extinguish the flames due to a lack of sufficient water and the high wind, Madden said.
Central Rolling Plains Co-Op did not immediately comment when reached by telephone Friday.
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