Hours after a fire broke out inside a plastics recycling plant outside of Nazareth in the Belfast section of Plainfield Township firefighters are continuing to battle heavy flames, smoke and heat with limited water supplies.
Dozens of fire companies from three counties have sent water tanker trucks to the five-alarm blaze that started around 5 a.m. at Nicos Polymers on Bangor Road. The fire started in the shipping and receiving area of the plant, according to workers who were inside when the fire started. All 11 employees working the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift safely evacuated, according to employee Rich Frey of Pen Argyl.
An estimated 8,000 gallons of water are being used each minute by fire crews, said Northampton County Director of Emergency Management Robert Mateff. Firefighters have also used foam trucks from Lehigh Valley International Airport,
Mateff said the fire was about 50 percent contained and crews hoped to have it knocked down by this afternoon. Mateff said crews were able to gain a hold on the fire once heavy equipment was brought in to begin razing the 180,000-square-foot facility.
The fire produced a plume of smoke visible from more than 10 miles away. The eastern half of Northampton County appeared to be under a black cloud because of the intensity of the smoke, which continues to bellow from the plant.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is monitoring the water run-off and air quality and so far there have been no problems, according to a DEP inspector on site and a dispatcher at the Northampton County Communications Center. In addition to having on-site inspectors, DEP also maintains an air monitoring staton nearby in Nazareth to measure particulate matter.
The roads in the immediate vicinity of the plant are congested with dozens of speeding water tanker trucks from fire companies throughout Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Bucks and Warren counties. Firefighters, however, have been unable to keep the hoses continuously charged with water because of the huge demand.
Firefighters have at least three aerials shooting down on the fire and several hand-held lines around the perimeter of the 180,000-square-foot plant. The fire also spread out from the building to wooden shipping pallets and truck trailers outside the building. A large propane tank outside the building also had firefighters concerned initially, but firefighters kept it doused with water to prevent it from overheating and exploding and pushed back the fire.
During the first two hours of the fire, firefighters concentrated on the northern and southern ends of the plant. By 10 a.m., they appeared to have pushed back the fire to the center of the plant.
Frey said he was outside the plant when he heard an alarm sounding from inside. Initially, he thought it was a burglar alarm. But as soon as he entered the plant, he saw smoke filling up the shipping and receiving departments. He immediately went to the office to call 911.
"I called 911 and came out of the office and shut the machinery down," Frey said. "We no sooner shut them down and the smoke was in our area."
By the time they went outside, he said, the flames were through the roof.
Firefighters arrived to a fully involved structure fire.
The fire steadily progressed throughout the morning. and the exterior walls and roof of the fabricated steel structure melted, warped and finally collapsed. Firefighters began to make headway around 9 a.m. when the local landfill sent two of its oversized water tanks to the scene. The trucks, which hold about 7,000 gallons of water, sprayed directly onto the fire, unlike the tanker trucks that have to transfer water into portable ponds for pumper trucks to suck into hoses.
Mateff said one nearby house was evacuated and a shelter was set up at St. Peter's Lutheran Church on Church Road, but no one was utilizing it as of 10:30 a.m.
The smoke is drifting gently upward and southward away from homes in the immediate vicinity of the plant and the dark smoke is turning to a gray, an indication firefighters are bringing the fire under control.
Mateff said there have been no reports of injuries.
Motorists have been asked to avoid the area if possible to keep the roads open for the water tanker trucks.
Bangor Road is closed between Belfast and School roads. State police also are directing traffic on Main Street in Stockertown at the Routes 33 and 191 interchange to direct the tankers through traffic.
While firefighters battled the blaze, Nicos employees watched from the road almost in disbelief. Although the fire raged out of control, employees said the scene seemed somewhat surreal because there was no panic or frantic activity.
Although firefighters shouted orders and moved quickly, there was a relatively relaxed atmosphere. Some firefighters rested at command posts, volunteers served them water and onlookers took photos and videos from the sidelines.
Jose Belasco of Easton said he was scheduled to start work at 7 a.m. One of his co-workers called him about the fire. He said he initially thought they were joking. After two years working at the plant, Belasco said he's afraid he and the other 100 people who work there may be out of jobs now.
Nicos Polymers Group specializes in the recovery and reuse of plastic scraps. It's been in business for more than 60 years. Nicos Polymers filed for Chapter 11 in October 2010 and emerged from bankruptcy in December after being purchased by Coll Materials of Zanesville, Ohio.
Coll was planning to close the Plainfield Township plant and open a new one in South Whitehall Township. Calls to Coll Materials have not been returned.
Tracy Jordan and Pamela Lehman
Mateff said crews were able to gain a hold on the fire once heavy equipment was brought in to begin razing the 180,000-square-foot facility.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
