First responders make quick work of putting out a fire at the Ardagh Glass Plant

 

[August 27, 2020] 

A Wednesday afternoon fire at the abandoned Ardagh Glass Plant in Lincoln was brought under control in less than 90 minutes by local firefighters. According to Lincoln Fire Chief Bob Dunovsky this was due in no small part to a great strategy for attacking the fire, and a lot of help through the mutual aid program.

The fire call came into the Lincoln station around 2 p.m. Dunovsky said that as he made his way to the scene his biggest questions was how could a fire have started at the factory? He confirmed that the plant was closed last year, and that gas and electric had been turned off since then. Knowing this, he had to wonder if this was a case of arson.

When he arrived at the scene, he saw several people coming out of the building, and soon learned that they were a demolition crew that had permission to be inside the building. The crew had been working on some deconstruction projects. They recounted to the chief that they had been working when the fire started. The crew had attempted to put out the fire using two fire extinguishers, but the flames quickly got out of hand and they called for help.

Dunovsky said there was plenty of help. In addition to the city of Lincoln, Lincoln Rural, Mount Pulaski and Atlanta were all called to the scene.

The chief said that the Logan County Paramedics came to keep an eye on firefighters and tend to anyone who became injured. Lincoln Rural brought out a mobile cooling station and the Logan County Sheriff/EMA brought out their command center for the same reason along with water for first responders.

It was a very hot Wednesday in August and the heat of the flames made it all the worse for firefighters. Dunovsky said the cooling areas and the water made a huge difference for all the firefighters and was greatly appreciated.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the battle of the blaze.

Dunovsky also talked about receiving help through the MABAS or mutual aid box alarm system. The city department and other departments in the county participate in a program that supplies extra manpower as well as equipment through a mutual aid agreement. Dunovsky said that while this area is known as MABAS-51, Sangamon County is in MABAS-48. The partnership between departments and MABAS units throughout the state give local firefighters access to equipment from other departments.

Because the fire was producing heavy black smoke, Dunovsky called upon Mutual Aid for an evacuation fan. The fan came from Springfield. Dunovsky said the tool was invaluable to the firefighters. With a wind speed of around 75 mph, the fan sucked the smoke out of the building in just minutes. With a clear view of the interior, firefighters were able to do a better examination of the area, and able to better determine when the fire had been fully extinguished.

Dunovsky said that all in all the cooperation between the local departments and the MABAS program made the day go much better than it could have gone and he’s very appreciative of all the efforts made.

Dunovsky noted that acting Mayor Tracy Welch arrived on the scene as well as Lincoln’s Building and Safety Officer Wes Woodhall and Ameren Illinois. All were there just to be sure that if their assistance was needed it would come quickly.

All in all, Dunovsky said that things went very well on Wednesday afternoon, and he was very happy that the first responders were able to knock the fire down so quickly. He went on to say that the building was turned back over to the construction crew later in the afternoon, and that there will be some investigation into the exact cause of the fire.

[Nila Smith]