Ohio Firefighters Battle Massive Blaze in Barrel Refinishing Warehouse
Heat and 100-foot flames kept firefighters at a distance Thursday night as the fire destroyed the 104-year-old warehouse owned by the Queen City Barrel Co. and caused at least $5 million in damage, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said. No injuries were reported.
The 400,000-square-foot building housed barrels and steel drums for cleaning and repainting. Over the years, neighbors have complained about chemical odors and suspected leaks at the property.
Firefighters were still putting water on the smoldering ruins Friday, said Patrick Berarducci, an ATF senior special agent based in Cleveland.
The cause is not yet known. Berarducci said there has been no initial indication that it was intentionally set.
The ATF's four national response teams help local officials investigate large fires. Teams include agents, chemists, bomb-sniffing dogs and forensics specialists.
Uncertainty about chemicals in the air and the thick smoke led fire officials to advise nearby residents to stay inside on an upper floor of their homes with doors and windows closed and air conditioners turned off until Friday morning.
Edward Paul, the company's owner and president, said a company truck driver saw smoke in the basement near the center of the building Thursday evening, about three hours after employees left for the day.
Firefighters from five other departments were called in to help.
The company was founded in 1929 as a wooden barrel manufacturer by Paul's grandfather, Harry Paul. It is one of the nation's largest reconditioners of bulk containers.
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