Early morning call

The Delavan Fire Department responds to a call at Strategic Materials around 4:30 a.m., Jan. 28, after employees reported a fire in a piece of recycling separation machinery, according to Fire Chief Tim O’Neill. He said Strategic staff did a good job activating the sprinkler system that was put in place last year and a newer ventilation system also helped. O’Neill said crews were on scene for more than two hours because of having to disassemble the machines to get to the smoldering products. “No other fire departments were called, it was contained to that one machine and there were no injuries so those are all positives,” he said. O’Neill said fire officials are working with the company’s insurance to determine the exact cause. (Photo courtesy Delavan FD)