Massive Five Alarm Fire Torches Clearfield Mineral Plant
Smoke seen from Salt Lake City to Brigham City as Albion Minerals burns
By RICK AARON | raaron@good4utah.com
Updated 07/25 2016 11:41PM
Clearfield
CLEARFIELD, UT (ABC4 Utah News) - A fire at a nutritional products laboratory send massive flames and a huge cloud of smoke skyward Monday afternoon at 101 North Main Street.
The building is a manufacturing facility operated by Albion Minerals. According to their website, the company is owned by Balchem and "is the world leader and innovator in mineral amino acid chelate nutrition".
A passing motorist on Main Street captured video of the massive fireball belching a plume of black smoke into the air.
Spokesman Mark Sessions of the North Davis Fire District said that the 12 employees inside managed to get out safely through the south door.
"When we arrived there were flames shooting out I'd say probably 20 to 30 feet," Sessions told ABC4 Utah News. "As you can see right behind us now we have smoke that has generated. We're a block away but it has been seen from as far as Salt Lake to Brigham City."
Crews from the North Davis Fire Department plus the Clinton, Layton, Sunset, Roy and Hill Air Force Base fire departments all responded to this five alarm fire with explosive potential.
"On the back side of the building we had a number of 55 gallon drums of ethanol that could cause quite an explosion," Sessions said. "So we have cleared the trailer court to the west of us because of the smoke and also because of the potential for the explosion."
Fighting the fire in 100 degree heat took a toll on some of the fire personnel.
"We've had five or six that were taken to hospital just for precautionary only," Sessions said. "Nothing life threatening just with the heat and the smoke that this wind's generating. It's coming every which way and to will change as we're standing here."
Sessions said he had no indication of the cause of the fire and investigators would begin working on that Tuesday morning.
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