CLEARFIELD, Utah, July 26, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A five-alarm structure fire at a Main Street business in Clearfield has caused $5 million in damages.
The business, Balchem Chemicals at 101 N. Main St., produces vitamins and supplements for humans and animals, said spokesman for North Davis Fire District Mark Sessions. The fire, at the building formerly called Albion Laboratories, was first reported at approximately 5:30 p.m. Monday. The building was almost a total loss, with the manufacturing area completely destroyed and the office space almost destroyed.
Sessions said there were 12 employees inside at the time, who were alerted to the situation and evacuated themselves. All of them made it out of the building safely.
A total of 60 firefighters were called to fight the blaze, and of them, six firefighters were looked at by medical crews. Five of them were given oxygen at the scene and released, and one was transported to the hospital with heat exhaustion and dehydration, then released.
Sessions said no chemicals were released into the air, but there was potential for explosions from several 55 gallon drums of ethanol that were stored south of the structure. He said there is also a gas station 30 feet away from the north side of the business, with a large propane tank.
Main Street between Center Street and 300 North was shut down as crews battled the blaze, and bystanders were moved a quarter of a mile away.
The fire also caused a power outage, with approximately 1,363 customers affected, according to Rocky Mountain Power.
Sessions said the next step in the investigation will be to take down the south external wall of the structure to try and determine how the fire began.
He said officials have ruled out arson or criminal violations as the cause of the fire.
Are there any hazards from the Clearfield fire at the Albion Lab from the chemicals that are burned?
Albion makes dietary supplements at this site. Shouldn’t pose a health threat.