Friday night, crews from Harrison Twp., Vandalia, Clayton and Wright-Patterson were dispatched to the facility at 2030 Drill Ave. sometime after 10:30 p.m. Several residences in the vicinity of the metal finishing company were evacuated. As many as 100 fire personnel responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.
No water was used on the fire because of corrosive and flammable chemicals stored in the building, Harrison Twp. Fire Chief Mark Lynch said. The building and its contents were a total loss, he said.
It could take months to clean up the site, Lynch said. Crews have heavy equipment on the scene Monday to make it safe, and Lynch said they hope to get inside Tuesday.
There was a concern during the fire about the dangerous chemicals on site, but Lynch said hazardous materials crews were able to dig a containment ditch during the weekend.
Lynch said air monitoring devices will be in place as crews continue working at the site this week.
Lynch has listed the fire as suspicious, but he and the State Fire Marshal's office said the cause is undetermined and investigators will be on scene in the coming days to continue the investigation being conducted with local, state and federal agencies.
Anyone with information is asked to call the State Fire Marshal's Fire & Explosion Investigation Bureau at 800-589-2728 or the Harrison Twp. Fire Department at 937-274-4351.
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