Garland, TX Shiloh Plant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Sherwin-Williams has posted the following responses to potential frequently asked questions (FAQs) from external stakeholder audiences. These responses reflect the conclusion of various incident response activities as remediation efforts are ongoing.
In the early morning hours of Monday, August 7, 2023, a fire broke out at the Sherwin-Williams facility on S. Shiloh Road in Garland, Texas. All employees at the site successfully evacuated the facilities, and the Garland Fire Department immediately responded to the plant, confirming that all employees were accounted for.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Physical damage from the event appears to be limited to the Sherwin-Williams site. No damage to neighboring properties has been observed at this time. If the surrounding community has questions regarding potential impacts to property, we ask that they contact us at garlandresponse@sherwin.com.
At the time of the incident, there were 29 employees present at the site, all of whom successfully evacuated the facility. One employee suffered a minor injury in association with the evacuation.
Our crews have been working tirelessly in conjunction with teams from the City of Garland, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on response and remediation activities. Sherwin-Williams deployed personnel and equipment to extensively contain and recover runoff from the incident to minimize impacts to waterways near the facility. In collaboration with the TCEQ and the EPA, air and water quality monitoring was conducted in multiple locations at and near the facility through August 20, 2023, to ensure the health and safety of the community.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have re-opened all waterways potentially impacted by the event for unrestricted use. Regulators previously determined that sanitation systems and city drinking were not affected.
Sampling points that span the 53 miles of impacted waterways showed results below site-specific cleanup levels over a five-day period, according to the EPA. Sherwin-Williams also completed a five-day flushing of dechlorinated fresh water into storm drains, stream 2C4 and Duck Creek.
The EPA, TCEQ and the City of Garland identified no major impacts to public health or safety, monitored sanitation systems and city drinking water, and determined they were not affected. This means public water supplies remain safe to drink.
The EPA, TCEQ and the City of Garland have determined the event has not impacted public water supplies and they remain safe to drink.
Sherwin-Williams will continue to share new information via this dedicated Garland Response website as it becomes available.
We have received approval to resume some operations in areas of the site that did not experience damage, and we expect these areas to be operating at full capacity in the coming weeks. Operations remain suspended for the section of the site that experienced the majority of the impact from the fire.