LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) – The following is a news release from the Lubbock County Office of Emergency Management:

The Lubbock County Office of Emergency Management (OEM), in coordination with the City of Slaton and Lubbock County fire departments responded to a commercial/business structure fire in the downtown Slaton business district this morning.

Slaton Police Department 911 Dispatch Center received a 911 call at 2:46 am from Mr. Jason Bautista an employee of Klemke Sausage Haus, located at 255 W Garza St, Slaton, TX 79364, reporting smoke in the building.

Slaton Fire Department was dispatched at 2:46 am and arrived on scene at 2:50 am and discovered the structure full of smoke. 

Firefighters entered the property in an effort to locate the seat of the fire, and during the extinguishment of the fire, conditions rapidly deteriorated forcing firefighters to retreat from the structure and assume defensive operations to minimize the spread of the fire to uninvolved structures.

Mutual aid assistance was request from 22 different organizations to include:

  • City of Lubbock Fire Rescue
  • Buffalo Springs Volunteer Fire Department
  • Ransom Canyon Volunteer Fire Department
  • Idalou Volunteer Fire Department
  • New Deal Fire and Rescue
  • West Carlisle Fire and Rescue
  • Wolfforth Fire and Rescue
  • Woodrow Volunteer Fire Department
  • Ralls Volunteer Fire Department
  • Post Volunteer Fire Department
  • Tahoka Volunteer Fire Department
  • Lubbock County Road and Bridge
  • Lubbock County Office of Emergency Management
  • Lubbock Sheriff’s Office
  • Lubbock County Commissioners Precinct 2
  • Slaton Police Department
  • Slaton Public Works
  • Atmos Energy
  • Xcel Energy
  • Tucker Oil Company
  • Nutrien Ag Solutions
  • Strawn Energy Services, LLC

For a total of approximately 100 responders.

As of 9:30 am the fire was contained to the initial involved structures and responders remain on scene to prevent the re-kindle and spread of the fire.

We would like to make residents of Slaton aware that smoke from the fire will be present for several hours and to minimize their exposure to the smoke plume from this fire.

Some road will remained closed today near the fire scene.

Approximately 91 Xcel Energy customers were affected by power outages caused by the fire and Xcel is currently working on restoration of power to these customers.  

The cause of the fire remains undetermined at the time of this press release. The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office has been requested to assist in the determination of the cause of this fire.

For additional information and/or questions, please contact Clinton Thetford, Lubbock County Emergency Management Coordinator at 806 775-7300 or cthetford@co.lubbock.tx.us.

(News release from the Lubbock County Office of Emergency Management)