The fire started with a small fire as a tanker truck was beingloaded with acetylene gas. It then set off a series of explosionsat Southwest Industrial's building at 538 S. Industrial Blvd. andspread to a neighboring warehouse. A third building also is indanger, according to the latest accounts by reporters at thescene.

The area has been evacuated as firefighters attempt to containthe raging fire as possibly toxic fumes spew into the air fromexploding canisters of propane and oxygen. The evacuated areaincludes the Hyatt Regency Dallas at 300 Reunion Blvd. and ReunionArena at 777 Sports St.

Property information on Dallas Central Appraisal District showsthe company's complex consists of two distribution warehouses,totaling 4,500 sf, with a 5,290-sf terminal. The complex, developedin 1975, sits at the split of interstates 30 and 35. It has beenowned by HAS Partnership Ltd. of Dallas since late August 1999.