Firefighters in Illinois battled a destructive fire that was started when an employee left hot plastic near a stack of pallets.
The fire started around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 20, at a plastic fabrication business called Poly USA Inc. in Aurora, Illinois, according to a news release from the Aurora Fire Department.
AFD ON SCENE AT AN EXTERIOR PLASTICS FIRE IN THE 800 BLOCK OF N RUSSELL
Posted by Aurora -IL Fire Department on Wednesday, February 20, 2019
An employee noticed the blaze in the rear storage area of the building and called 911. When crews arrived on the scene, it took thirty-two firefighters nearly an hour to put out the fire.
No one was injured.
Firefighters say that the fire started “when an employee apparently put a cardboard box filled with hot plastic next to the stacks of pallets. The employee attempted to cool the contents of the box with water, then left the area. Shortly thereafter, the box reignited catching the pallets on fire.”
Three semi trailers were a total loss because of the fire in addition to the pallets and two exterior storage tanks.
The total damage of the fire was estimated at $150,000.