Update:
9:23 p.m. Nov. 7, 2025: This story updated with new information.
Dallas Fire-Rescue and Dallas police were responding to a major fire Friday afternoon that sent a thick plume of smoke into the air in South Dallas.
Firefighters arrived at the scene in the 5300 block of Botham Jean Boulevard at about 2:04 p.m. and found numerous pallets on fire, Jason Evans, a spokesperson for Dallas Fire-Rescue, said.
Anderson Fisher of South Dallas said he witnessed the start of the blaze shortly after 2 p.m.
He said he saw smoke rising from a stack of pallets in the middle of the lot before the flames started “spreading everywhere.”
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Fisher watched as employees of the business tried dousing the flames themselves and neighbors called the fire department for help.
“It was absolutely crazy,” Fisher said. “Never seen anything like it.”
Orange smoke continued to bellow above stacks of wooden pallets at about 3:30 p.m. near Hiland Dairy’s Dallas facility.
Fire crews contained the fire with ground lines and drones scoping the fire’s size from the air, Evans said.
Dozens of emergency vehicles, including fire department trucks and police patrol cars were blocking access to the road where it intersects with C.F. Hawn Freeway.
At about 4 p.m., the fire was mostly put out, and some fire crews stayed on scene to address the remaining hot spots.
Investigators determined the fire was started accidentally when a spark from an incinerator, used to destroy old pallets, ignited nearby pallets, Evans said.
There was no structural damage and no reported injuries.