August 24th
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
A massive fire at a chemical plant in Madison Village, Ohio caused fireballs to shoot into the air Monday, August 15. Firefighter dispatch crews were called to 300 Edwards Street at about 9:50 pm. Madison Fire Chief Tod Baker said the fire initially started in a storage unit where the plant stores plastic containers. The blaze destroyed an unattached materials warehouse, while offices in the company’s main buildings sustained significant water damage during firefighting operations. There were no chemicals in the units at the time, but melted plastic covered the grounds in the area.
Chief Baker said the team arrived at the scene to find “a fully involved building fire located on the north side of the property with materials outside the building also involved in fire.”
“Because of the size of the fire, water supply was one of the issues,” Baker said. “Location was also an issue. There is one narrow entrance and one narrow exit. The biggest challenge was trying to protect the tank farms that store the chemicals.”
Madison Fire recruited help from many surrounding departments. Lake County Hazardous Materials Team also came to the scene.
The Lake County Fire Investigation Unit, the State Fire Marshall and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency met on site the day after the fire to investigate cause and origin and watch for contamination concerns.
Annual property loss prevention inspections can help assess hazards. Recommendations can be provided to help minimize hazardous exposures. Risk Logic engineers can review fire and explosion hazards, and aid in establishing contingency plans. Contact Risk Logic, about conducting a property loss prevention survey at your facility.