Fire near El Paso, Texas, airport injures 5

Large fire erupts near El Paso, Texas, international airport, injuring 5

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A fire broke out at a transportation center next to the international airport in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, injuring five people and sending a large tower of black smoke billowing over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Firefighters spray water on the maintenance facilities of the public transportation service Sun Metro on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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As a dust storm hits the area, firefighters spray water on a fire at the maintenance facilities of the public transportation service Sun Metro on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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Employees of the public transportation service Sun Metro wait at a gas station after being evacuated from their operations center on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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An ATF agent walks towards the Sun Metro Bicentennial Council Transit Operations Center after a fire at the maintenance facilities on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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Firefighters spray water on a fire at the the maintenance facilities of the public transportation service Sun Metro Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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Employees of the public transportation service Sun Metro wait at a gas station after being evacuated from their operations center due to a fire Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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A van drives into Sun Metro Bicentennial Council Transit Operations Center on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A fire broke out at a transportation center next to the international airport in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, injuring five people and sending a large tower of black smoke billowing over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Authorities did not immediately say what caused the fire at Sun Metro Bicentennial Council Transit Operations Center.

More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, said El Paso Fire Department Deputy Chief Robert Arvizu. He said he did not immediately know how many people were inside the building, whose walls and roof caved in. Authorities said they had the fire under control by midafternoon.

The fire did not disrupt flights at El Paso International Airport, said El Paso city spokesperson Laura Cruz Acosta.