DES MOINES, Iowa
--
Investigator continue to seek the cause of a fire at a Pleasant Hill business late Thursday that sent thick smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.
Firefighters said the fire broke out at about 7 p.m. at Hawkeye Wood Shavings at 5511 E. University Ave. The company sells sawdust and wood shavings for such uses as dairy beddings and mulch for playgrounds.
"What are we going to do now?" one employee said.
"This was a tough one to fight because we had such a huge fire load," said Pleasant Hill Fire Chief Reylon Meeks. "The wood shavings themselves, they catch quickly and of course, we were behind the 8-ball when we got here because the building was totally engulfed."
Crews were working at the scene to put out the flames. They said they expected to keep dousing hot spots until at least midnight. There were no injuries reported.
An employee told NewsChannel 8 that two buildings on the property burned, both of which were metal. The worker said there were a few other shredders on the property so work at the company may be able to continue.
The employee said less than 100 people work at the site. Many of them who had left for the day came back when they heard about the fire.
Lowell Bauer of Prudential First Realty said the business was for sale. He said the company was still in operation as it waited for a buyer.
An employee said the work day had already ended when the fire started. Investigators have not released information about the cause.
Meeks said people from as far away as West Des Moines called to report seeing smoke.
Patty Emery said she works at a nearby diner and knows the owner and many of the employees.
"He's a good person. He doesn't deserve this. No one deserves a fire," she said.
The business also caught fire almost exactly three years earlier when a fire started in a conveyor belt and spread to a wood chipper. The business also burned in 2004 when a tractor caught fire inside a building.
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