NY Departments Battle Fire at Asphalt Plant
By Anne Hayes
Source syracuse.com (TNS)
A massive fire broke out at a Suit-Kote plant Wednesday evening.
Around 5:30 p.m., a fire was reported at the asphalt company’s plant along Rt. 11 near Kellogg Road in Cortlandville, according to a news release from the Cortlandville Fire Department.
When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke and flames pouring from a structure near liquid asphalt storage tanks, fire officials said.
The city of Cortland Haz-Mat Team was quickly requested at the scene, they said.
Cortlandville firefighters began battling the blaze while they waited for assistance from the Tompkins County Airport Crash Fire Rescue, fire officials said.
The airport crash rescue crew is located near the Ithaca Thompkins International Airport.
When the airport rescue crews arrived, they sprayed a foam fire suppressant that helped to contain and smother the fire, fire officials said.
The fire was under control after about an hour, they said.
The fire was contained to a storage facility that held synthetic plastic beads used as a binding agent during asphalt production, fire officials said.
The hazmat teams monitored the air quality after the fire was contained and ruled that it was safe, they said. There were no spills as a result of the fire.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The fire was not at the Suit-Kote location along Interstate 81 well known to the thousands of drivers that pass it each day.
All lanes of Rt. 11 were closed for approximately three hours Wednesday night, according to a New York State alert system.
Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at [email protected].
©2022 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit syracuse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
