[cifnmedia] Fire rages through Rouleau Industries
- From: Sean & Kimberly Aaron <cifn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Mark Typlin" <chgo06@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 16:17:56 -0700 (PDT)
Local News
Fire rages through Rouleau Industries
By BILL GRIMES, Daily News
ALTAMONT - Little information was available this morning on why an Altamont
factory burned to the ground today.
Firefighters from several area departments were still too busy fighting the
fire to speculate on the cause of the blaze at Rouleau Industries, owned by
Mick Rouleau - who was inconsolable as he was being comforted by friends and
family while seated in a lawn chair across from the burning plant.
The fire apparently began just before 6 a.m. today and flames were still
shooting up to 30 feet in the air at 8:30 a.m.
"It was pretty spectacular," said the Rev. Bill Veith of St. Paul Lutheran
Church in Altamont. "It was pretty dangerous, too.
"At one point, the firefighters had to pull back," Veith said.
There were unconfirmed reports of dangerous chemicals in the plant. The plant
makes wood bleachers seats and recently began manufacturing wood flooring.
The wood and materials used in the manufacturing process helped the fire
maintain its grip as it moved through the building.
Firefighters were further hampered by problems getting sufficient water to the
scene.
At one point, there were tanker trucks from six different departments shuttling
water back and forth to the scene, but they appeared to have trouble getting
water on the fire fast enough to stop its spread. By 8:30, firefighters were
using bulldozers to move twisted, burned metal from the plant away from where
the fire was still burning.
Firefighters from several departments helped Altamont firefighters battle the
blaze. Other departments on the scene included Brownstown, Shumway, Tri-County
(Beecher City), Farina and St. Elmo.
Veith, a former paramedic, said he gained respect for area firefighters while
watching them work this morning.
"They really know their stuff," he said. "They really showed great teamwork."
The building is located just west of the Interstate 70 Altamont exit, directly
alongside the highway. However, the highway remained open throughout the
morning and there were no reports of evacuations, even though there is a small
residential subdivision directly north of the plant.
About 20 people, including Rouleau and several of his employees, were watching
the fire from a grassy area across the road north of the plant.
The plant just recently began a second shift.
Bill Grimes can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 132 or
bgrimes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sean A. Aaron (CIFN*1)
Central Illinois Fire Network
cifn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.geocities.com/central_illinois_firenet
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