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It took several hours to contain the blaze Tuesday at Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing in Plainfield.
JESS LIPPOLD / Courier Staff Photographer
JESS LIPPOLD / Courier Staff Photographer
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Leaking oil causes fire at manufacturer
By JOSH NELSON, Courier Staff Writer
PLAINFIELD --- A fire all but destroyed a soy-based lubricants plant Tuesday afternoon, causing officials to shut down at least two miles of U.S. 218 because of thick clouds of black smoke.
The fire began shortly after 1 p.m. when hot oil leaked out a machine and onto a floor at the Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing plant a quarter mile north of Plainfield. An employee noticed the fire and left to get an extinguisher. When the employee came back, the flames had grown out of control. said Jim O'Regan, the company's chief operating officer.
O'Regan did not think there was any open flames that caused the fluid to ignite. Strong winds from the southeast blew through a door and pushed the blaze throughout the entire 25,000-square-foot structure. O'Regan said he and some other company officials were in Horton meeting a client when they first heard about the fire.
They rushed back to the office, which hadn't been touched by the fire yet, but they were quickly forced out by the fast-moving flames. By the time the Plainfield Fire Department showed up, the building was fully engulfed, said Cheif Tom Poppe.
"It went pretty quick," he said.
Bremer County emergency management officials called for a one-mile quarantine zone around the facility initially because of concerns that the smoke may be toxic. Homes were evacuated and all roads in the area were blocked off. Officials temporarily closed down part of U.S. 218 from the C-13 blacktop by Nashua to the Plainfield exit south of town and some gravel roads. The roads were re-opened around 5 p.m. after officials found that there was not toxic smoke coming from the burning chemicals.
"They were concerned with some of the chemicals that they store (at the plant). Just mainly for safety precautions," said the Rev. Shawn Geer, a chaplain for the Plainfield Fire Department.
About that same time, fire crews had most of the blaze under control. The roof of the large building collapsed completely inward and much of the metal was charred.
Poppe said fire crews could work through the night to put down remaining pockets of fire. A large tank full of oil was still burning, but the county emergency management said it would be all right to let it burn. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials also showed up to assess the damage.
Around 75 firefighters from Plainfield, Nashua and Waverly fought the blaze.
Both Poppe and O'Regan said the employees followed the correct regulations with the fire, but it just spiraled out of their control too quickly. None of the five other employees on site at the time of the fire were injured, which was the most important part, O'Regan said.
"We can replace buildings, but we can't replace people," he said.
The company has had several business partners come to ELM's aid, including office space in Waterloo, aid through the University of Northern Iowa and manufacturing space in New Jersey and Kansas City, O'Regan said. Insurance adjusters for the company were also on site.
The company moved to their Plainfield location in 2003. Some of the soy-based products were developed through UNI's Ag-Based Industrial Lubricants Program. In 2004, the company received $200,000 from the Iowa Values Fund for job retention.
Courier Staff Writer Karen Heinselman contributed to this story.
Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.
The fire began shortly after 1 p.m. when hot oil leaked out a machine and onto a floor at the Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing plant a quarter mile north of Plainfield. An employee noticed the fire and left to get an extinguisher. When the employee came back, the flames had grown out of control. said Jim O'Regan, the company's chief operating officer.
O'Regan did not think there was any open flames that caused the fluid to ignite. Strong winds from the southeast blew through a door and pushed the blaze throughout the entire 25,000-square-foot structure. O'Regan said he and some other company officials were in Horton meeting a client when they first heard about the fire.
They rushed back to the office, which hadn't been touched by the fire yet, but they were quickly forced out by the fast-moving flames. By the time the Plainfield Fire Department showed up, the building was fully engulfed, said Cheif Tom Poppe.
"It went pretty quick," he said.
Bremer County emergency management officials called for a one-mile quarantine zone around the facility initially because of concerns that the smoke may be toxic. Homes were evacuated and all roads in the area were blocked off. Officials temporarily closed down part of U.S. 218 from the C-13 blacktop by Nashua to the Plainfield exit south of town and some gravel roads. The roads were re-opened around 5 p.m. after officials found that there was not toxic smoke coming from the burning chemicals.
"They were concerned with some of the chemicals that they store (at the plant). Just mainly for safety precautions," said the Rev. Shawn Geer, a chaplain for the Plainfield Fire Department.
About that same time, fire crews had most of the blaze under control. The roof of the large building collapsed completely inward and much of the metal was charred.
Poppe said fire crews could work through the night to put down remaining pockets of fire. A large tank full of oil was still burning, but the county emergency management said it would be all right to let it burn. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials also showed up to assess the damage.
Around 75 firefighters from Plainfield, Nashua and Waverly fought the blaze.
Both Poppe and O'Regan said the employees followed the correct regulations with the fire, but it just spiraled out of their control too quickly. None of the five other employees on site at the time of the fire were injured, which was the most important part, O'Regan said.
"We can replace buildings, but we can't replace people," he said.
The company has had several business partners come to ELM's aid, including office space in Waterloo, aid through the University of Northern Iowa and manufacturing space in New Jersey and Kansas City, O'Regan said. Insurance adjusters for the company were also on site.
The company moved to their Plainfield location in 2003. Some of the soy-based products were developed through UNI's Ag-Based Industrial Lubricants Program. In 2004, the company received $200,000 from the Iowa Values Fund for job retention.
Courier Staff Writer Karen Heinselman contributed to this story.
Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.
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