More than 100 firefighters from four counties continue to battle a 4-alarm fire that broke out around 9 a.m. at a former Alcoa plant in the 3000 block of State Drive, South Lebanon Twp., Lebanon County. The fire is believed to have started in the warehouse of Grosfillex, a French manufacturer of plastic planters and lawn furniture.
The fire destroyed about 15 percent of the building, said Jamie Wolgemuth, county administrator, but no cause has yet been determined. No injuries were reported and all workers escaped safely.
The public is advised to stay out of the smoke, according to an advisory issued by Lebanon and Lancaster counties emergency management agencies.
A representative from the state Department of Environmental Protection is on site monitoring the air, but no information has been issued on results of the testing. During the morning a plastic smell was reported in the air as far as into Lancaster County.
Shortly after the fire broke out a plume of heavy black smoke poured out of the roof in the middle of the building, blowing southeast. The fire burned throughout the day, with fire walls set up inside to try to contain the damage, said Jamie Wolgemuth, county administrator.
Only two people were working in the Grosfillex warehouse when the fire started, and they exited safely, said Dan Yearick, vice president of operations for the Robesonia-based company.
Grosfillex leased 100,000 square feet in the building, in which plastic planters and lawn furniture were stored. The inventory is a total loss, Yearick said.
John Sandy, corporate spokesman for the High Company, said the 52 employees at High Concrete Innovations, a tenant next to Grosfillex in the plant, all left the building safely and were sent home.
Rod Ilgenfritz, an employee of High Concrete, said the fire started at Grosfillex and quickly spread to the High Concrete side of the building. Only a tarp separates the two operations, he said.
Tankers continued to fill temporary reservoirs throughout the day, supplementing the limited hydrants on site served by wells, with no public water lines on site.
Ilgenfritz said the 40 employees at High Concrete got out safely and that "virtually every piece of machinery" used in the operation has been destroyed.
Kris Price, another employee of High Concrete, said there was "intense heat" in the building when the fire broke out.
Water was working inside the building, Wolgemuth said, but he didn't know if there was a sprinkler system or not.
First reported at 9:46 a.m. For more on this story, see tomorrow's editions of The Patriot-News.
The building is owned Shadow Creek LLC.
Republished with permission of The Patriot-News.
