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Four Alarm Fire At Local Catawba Plant

Submitted by: Brandon Greeson, Catawba Valley Citizen

Photos Courtesy Catawba Valley Citizen

Catawba County

CATAWBA COUNTY - Members of the Longview Fire Department were called to Tailored Chemical Products, Inc and Tailored Foam, Inc. around 20:00 hours Sunday night after citizens nearby reported an explosion at the company. The company produces commercial glue and foam insulation used in construction.

Officials say a handful of employees were inside the facility working when the explosion occurred. None of the employees were injured. The exact cause is still unknown, however one employee told us that he believed it was related to a transformer that malfunctioned inside the facility.

Firefighters quickly arrived and began accessing the scene. They learned the facility housed extremely flammable chemicals, including ethanol and methanol. They were concerned that the room housing these chemicals would be exposed to the fire and risk a huge explosion.

Longview Fire Department requested the assistance of numerous nearby fire departments including Hickory, Icard, Lovelady and Mountain View Fire Departments. They were able to logistically coordinate their response and keep the fire contained to the portion of the building NOT containing the explosive chemicals.

Kenya Carson lives beside the facility. She said that she and her family were watching television when the explosion occurred. “Our walls shook and there was several really loud booms,” she said. “It sounded like our windows were going to blow out.” Officials evacuated Carson and her family from their home. Additional homes were also evacuated, as officials were concerned about the fire spreading or the toxicity of the smoke.

One local man said he lived about a half mile away and heard the explosion. He and his family were eating dinner and thought someone was setting off fireworks. They later heard the parade of fire trucks responding to the fire and thought they would go check it out.

As firefighters fought the intense fire, employees of the company showed up to watch their employment go up in flames. Some stood and wept in the cold rain, wondering what the future holds for them. Others stood silently watching the seventy-five foot flames tear apart their workplace. The business employed approximately 150 people.

Firefighters and hazardous material crews will be on scene all night to watch for hot spots and flareups. The Catawba County Fire Marshal’s office was on the scene and will be investigating the fire.

UPDATE Posted Jan 25 at 11:30

Barry Sigmon, Fire Investigator with Longview Fire Department said that firefighters remained on the scene all night fighting hot spots and dealing with a hazardous material incident involving the chemicals used in the factory.

More than 100 fire fighters from over 15 area fire departments responded to the incident.

Sigmon emphasized that there was never any potential hazard to the public as a result of the fire or the runoff, but that Catawba County’s HAZMAT team was coordinating and overseeing the cleanup.

No damage estimates for the 26,000 square foot facility are available and may not be for a couple days.

Crews are still working to put out small fires and hot spots and clean up chemicals.

Longview Fire Department has requested the assistance of the State Bureau of Investigation with this incident.

Sigmon said that the involvement of the SBI does not indicate the suspicion of foul play, but that the Department can benefit from the assistance offered by the SBI’s vast resources.

Officials are looking at several things in determining a cause, including combustion, faulty wiring/equipment and possibly a lightening strike.

FireNews.net would like to thank our online news partner Catawba Valley Citizen, who contributed greatly to this article.

Additional photos at Catawba Valley Citizen’s Facebook page.