Officials ask Miller Chemical for $163,000 in reimbursements
Emergency services director: Reimbursements requests are common in the event of a spill
By Lillian Reed
lreed@eveningsun.com
@LillianEReed on Twitter
Posted: 09/11/2015 04:37:12 PM EDT
A crane works amid the rubble of the Miller Chemical fire on June 15, 2015. Clare Becker - The Evening Sun
Adams County officials are asking Miller Chemical and Fertilizer for more than $163,000 in reimbursements for funds spent during the fire that leveled the company's warehouse in June, a county official said Thursday.
Though there is usually no charge for battling a fire, it is standard for emergency services to request reimbursements for materials used in the case of a spill, said John Eline, director of Adams County emergency services department.
The fire, which took more than 12 hours to extinguish, resulted in contaminated runoff leaking into the nearby Conewago Creek and led to the deaths of more than 10,000 fish, officials said at the time.
Barb Klunk, a representative of Miller Chemical, confirmed in an email Friday that the company had received a bill from Adams County but did not comment further on the subject.
"There was a lot of equipment and time and materials used," Eline said. "I think it's only fair that someone be held accountable."
The amount is being billed to Miller on behalf of several local fire departments and hazmat units that used resources such as absorbents to contain the contamination, Eline said. Of the total amount billed, about $24,500 is being requested on behalf of the county, he said.
Those figures were determined based on state guidelines on what can be charged to insurance companies, Eline said. Miller Chemical's insurance company will have the opportunity to review the county's claim and determine h
ow much of requested funds they will reimburse, he said.
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Miller Chemical fire: Adams County plant heavily damaged
Staff report
Posted: 06/08/2015
A chemical plant just outside Hanover erupted into flames early Monday morning and, when sealed containers got hot and exploded, "It was like a war zone for a while," one resident said.
Rae Sponsellor of High Street got a wake-up call when the fire started around 3:30 a.m.
"We heard boom, boom," she said.
When firefighters reached the scene, they found no one there, and cut through a fence to get close.
But fire was already moving through Miller Chemical and Fertilizer Corp.'s building.
Soon, fire officials decided it was best to "let the plant burn out," said John Eline, director of Adams County emergency services.
Sometimes -- especially with chemicals, he said -- it's best not to put more water on a fire. (Monday afternoon, firefighters planned to try to put the fire out).
This afternoon, crews were preparing to try to put out the fire at Miller Chemical outside Hanover after letting it burn for most of the day. (The Evening Sun -- Clare Becker)
The fire grew, and sealed containers got hot and exploded. "It was almost like fireworks," he said.
Daniel Brown, who lives just west of Miller Chemical, heard the explosions and saw grass on fire at the plant.
"There must have been so many explosions throughout the night. The windows were shaking," Brown said.
Ed Leonard saw the metal side of the building glowing. He had walked from his home at around 4:15 a.m.
Sponsellor and neighbor Greg Zeigler each said they got a robo-call from Hanover Borough advising them to stay inside.
Sponsellor, who has lived in her home for 47 years, said she couldn't recall any fires at Miller Chemical.
But as the sun rose Monday morning, thick gray smoke billowed from the plant, just down High Street from the Utz plant, less than half a mile from the North Hanover Mall and close to dozens of residential streets in town. More than 39,000 people live within a 3-mile radius of the plant, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The morning wind pushed the smoke away from homes, so officials didn't order people to leave, Eline said. They did, however, tell people to stay in their homes and close their windows.
A fire truck sprays water onto Miller Chemical during Monday's fire. (Clare Becker - The Evening Sun)
Tom Lawrence of Southeastern Adams Volunteer Emergency Services said mostly "residential fertilizer" was inside the plant. Eline said the smoke was "not necessarily toxic" but might irritate people with lung diseases such as asthma, and that's why officials told people nearby to stay inside.
Around 8 a.m., a few residents moved traffic cones to leave their neighborhoods. Greg Zeigler, who lives in the 1000 block of High Street wasn't one of them. He said he had to call off from his job in Spring Grove because the roads out of his neighborhood were blocked.
Lawrence said officials asked that people not drive in the area near the plant, and asked that businesses within a one-mile radius of the plant to close.
Some, like Allen Natural Foods at North Point Plaza, did. Some, like Global Nails and Parcel Plus at the plaza, were open. Big Lots at the plaza said it would open at noon.
At Tractor Supply Company, manager Tom Coleman surveyed other stores to see if they would close. Chunks of black ash littered the ground behind his store.
"It is what it is," Coleman said.
Around 3:40 p.m., Adams County emergency services said it was OK for people to leave their homes and for businesses to open.
Officials told people who live nearby that they should not worry about their drinking water. Terry Sterner, a supervisor at the Hanover Borough water department, said the water in Hanover is safe to drink. Tom Beamer, New Oxford Municipal Authority facilities manager, said its water is also safe to drink.
Officials were checking for runoff, though, Eline said.
Around 10 a.m. Monday, he told reporters that about 10 fire companies were on the scene, as well as the state police fire marshal and the state Department of Environmental Protection. Company officials were cooperating. Monday afternoon, firefighters began trying to put out the fire. At about 4 p.m., Lawrence said the fire was pretty much out.
No one knows what started the fire, he said, but they know that no one was hurt.
The building itself was still smoldering.
"There isn't much left," he said.
Hanover Evening Sun staff writers Lillian Reed and Jenni Wentz and York Daily Record/Sunday News staff writer Mark Walters contributed to this report. It was written by Scott Blanchard of the Daily Record/Sunday News.