June 03--BREMEN -- Chief Matthew Hassel was just returning to the Bremen Police Department after lunch early Tuesday afternoon when he noticed a cloud of smoke floating into the sky about a mile to the east.
Figuring it might be a trash fire or controlled burn, he played it safe and called emergency dispatchers to report the smoke. Moments later, Hassel said, he heard an explosion strong enough to shake the ground.
"I felt a concussion, so it was a good size, and that's when I saw that black smoke just rolling," he said.
The fire and explosion destroyed a building at fiberglass manufacturer Charleston Corp., sending up plumes of thick black smoke that obscured nearby roads and reportedly forced at least two people to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The fire started just after 1 p.m. at a building on the northwest end of the Charleston Corp. campus on Dogwood Road, just south of U.S. 6. When firefighters arrived, the plant was engulfed in flames, said Bremen Fire Chief Matt Neher.
Company owner Jeff Wysong said the facility, which manufactures roofs for high-end motor homes, was likely a total loss. As many as 12 people worked in the building, and those workers would be transferred to a different facility until the company can replace specialty tooling that was destroyed, he said. The 7,000-square-foot plant was among six buildings on the campus.
"It appears to be a total loss right now, but we have other manufacturing facilities, so we'll be fine," he said.
When Hassel arrived at the scene on Dogwood, the smoke was thick enough to obscure the road, he said.
"You couldn't see to drive down this road right after I got here," he said.
Hassel said at least two workers were treated for smoke inhalation after they breathed the smoke while running from the building. But everyone escaped from the plant, he said.
Neher said everyone had gotten out of the building by the time firefighters arrived at the scene. Crews initially took a defensive stance against the blaze but attacked the flames more aggressively after the west side of the building collapsed. By mid-afternoon, crews were mostly working to clear lingering hot spots, he said.
Neher said firefighters had no idea Tuesday afternoon what may have caused the blaze. Crews still had not been able to go inside the building and investigate as of 4 p.m.
"The investigation will probably continue well into the night," he said.
In all, 17 area fire departments helped Bremen firefighters with extra manpower and tanker trucks of water. The fiberglass plant was outside Bremen city limits, so crews had no nearby fire hydrants.
The destroyed building contained general manufacturing materials, but Neher said fire officials did not believe any harmful chemicals were released into the air.
Charleston Corp. employs more than 200 workers, Wysong said, adding that he was glad his employees took the right steps to get everyone out of the plant without serious injuries.
"I'm very proud of how our people responded, how our managers handled the event, getting all the employees out safe," he said.
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