Fairfield Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Steve Conn said the blaze at the 600,000-square-foot facility fire occurred after “some structural compromise” from a blast that had occurred, and crews were unable to progress any further.
“They had to withdraw and went to defensive operations,” he said, noting that firefighting efforts involved up to 20 agencies, including technical rescue teams and hazardous materials teams.
Conn said the fire, which resulted in structural compromise, was extinguished after seven hours.
“We had several master stream ladder trucks put up with several dumping thousands of gallons of water a minute to try and get the fire extinguished,” Conn said.
Concerns about a chemical leak were monitored, but no major releases were detected, he said.
Two employees who were injured were taken to the hospital, where they were treated and released.
Darrow had worked at the company since April 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile, which listed him as an “NH3 refrigeration & utility maintenance technician/supervisor.”
Fairfield Fire Department maintained a presence at the facility all night Sunday into Monday, monitoring air quality and checking for hot spots.
“There is some significant damage to the structure,” he said. “I can’t even begin to estimate ... how much the damages are going to be with something like this.”
The cause of the explosion “or whatever the incident was that led to the fire” is under investigation by Fairfield Fire Department and the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office, with ongoing monitoring and structural assessments, he said.
Smaller incidents, including small fires, have occurred at the building before, which processes millions of pounds of food daily and has extensive emergency protocols, he said.
Conn said new drone technology has transformed how fire departments handle dangerous structure fires. Instead of sending crews onto unstable roofs to take temperature readings, departments across the region, including Fairfield, West Chester Twp. and Hamilton County, now use drones to map heat signatures.
That, he said, lets firefighters target only the hot spots that show active fire, avoiding thousands of gallons of unnecessary water on weakened structures.
“We don’t want to do that if we don’t have to, so we’re not going to throw water on something that’s not showing hot, that’s not showing fire, and we’re able to pinpoint some of our activities a little bit better,” Conn said. “It’s really a game changer.”
The damage to the structure is so severe that “they’re probably going to start taking the building apart” to reach certain areas.
About the Author
