By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
A fire at Strategic Materials on Hobbs Dr. in the early morning hours of March 31 led to an abatement notice from the city closing the business and declaring it to be unfit for human habitation until several conditions are met. In a press release last week, the company asserted its commitment to Delavan.
The fire was the second fire in a matter of months. A similar blaze in nearly the same location occurred on Nov. 7 of last year. The fire on March 31 was even worse than the first one, according to Fire Chief Tim O’Neill.
Four employees who were working at the time of the March 31 fire attempted to extinguish the blaze themselves rather than call 911. The fire department arrived on the scene much later than it could have because the department wasn’t notified until the automated sprinkler system was engaged.
Three area fire departments helped extinguish the fire with the Town of Delavan and Village of Darien fire departments assisting the city. O’Neill said 45 firefighters participated and three suffered minor injuries.
The fire, according to O’Neill, started in or near the conveyer system, though he could not definitively determine the cause of the blaze. He said the conveyer system, two nearby machines and some nearby equipment were on fire when the fire department arrived on scene along with heavy smoke.
The abatement order was issued on April 1 and cited the limited conditional use permit the city issued to Strategic Materials in January of 2017 and its conditions. The order stated the business had violated the conditions regarding fire safety and city ordinances regarding fire safety and public nuisances. It also referenced a meeting on Feb. 25 of the General Operation Committee regarding complaints filed against the business for odor and glass in the street. Strategic Materials was given 90 days to address the concerns.
The order further stated O’Neill had determined a public nuisance exists at Strategic Materials that poses a great and immediate danger to public health and safety. Strategic Materials was ordered to be abated with the costs of the abatement to be charged to the business.
The company now needs to satisfy 16 conditions listed in the order.
No one from Strategic Materials answered specific questions about the two fires or the odor and broken glass complaints, but Dan VanKorn issued the following in a press release:
“Our commitment to the City of Delavan and our employees is unwavering. While it is unfortunate that a fire occurred at our facility, we are appreciative and thankful for the Delavan Fire Department’s quick response and service. We are grateful that the damage to our facility was minimal and no employees were hurt. We continue to make significant investments in Delavan, to be a valued corporate citizen and member of the local community-and to the State of Wisconsin,”
it states.
VanKorn said Strategic Materials is the only glass recycling facility in Wisconsin. It processes more than 100,000 tons of Wisconsin’s glass every year, which is primarily sold back to manufacturers in Wisconsin.
“We take our role as a critical partner in Wisconsin’s commitment to glass recycling very seriously,” he said.
O’Neill said the Fire Department continues to work with members of Strategic Materials’ management team and said the company has been receptive to the department’s safety concerns at the facility.
“We have communicated with them frequently during the past week,” O’Neill said.
“Our Fire Inspector and I have visited the facility to discuss at length their plans to update the fire suppression sprinkler and emergency notification system, as well as addressing many other concerns,” O’Neill added. “While these items are still in the discussion stage, we would like to see them move forward to resolve many of these safety issues.”
O’Neill said safety is the department’s main objective, not only for first responders, but also for the employees.
Strategic Materials was the nation’s first nationwide glass recycler and is the only glass recycling facility in the state of Wisconsin. The company has been in business since 1896 under several names. Strategic Materials became its own separate company in 1994 and has locations in over 20 states and in Canada.
