After two days of battling a fire at the Albert Lea Farmland plant, authorities said Tuesday they are finally satisfied the blaze is firmly under control.

Wednesday, July 11, 2001

After two days of battling a fire at the Albert Lea Farmland plant, authorities said Tuesday they are finally satisfied the blaze is firmly under control.

With only a few small hot spots remaining, Albert Lea Fire Chief Richard Sydnes said he is gradually pulling back the last of his crews and sending them home.

&uot;I want to make sure our job is absolutely finished before we turn the building back over to Farmland,&uot; he said during an afternoon press conference.

Sydnes said the fire began Sunday about 5 p.m. while contractors used torches to cut ceiling sprinkler pipes in preparation for a plant expansion. Investigators determined that either sparks from the cutting, or the torches themselves, ignited wooden beams and cardboard boxes stored in the building.

Sydnes said the sprinkler system in the area where the fire started was shut off because the pipes were being cut.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, the blaze was just beginning to spread deeper into the adjacent Farmland complex.

&uot;We thought we could get it contained in that first building but we couldn’t get at it. There were too many small spaces that we couldn’t reach,&uot; Sydnes said.

The fire spread quickly through crawl spaces and ceiling gaps, enveloping about a third of the factory complex before it was finally contained, Sydnes said.

&uot;I’m very thankful no one got hurt,&uot; he said.

Kieger Emergency Response Services of Hugo, Minn. will take over the operation from the fire department and will focus on fire suppression and debris removal, Sydnes said. Assessing and clearing the damaged areas could take several weeks.

Patrick Iwan, Kieger’s general manager, said he will consult with engineers the rest of the week to secure the burned structure before removing debris with backhoes and cranes.

Meanwhile, hundreds of out-of-work Farmland employees filed for unemployment insurance today at the local Union Center while waiting to hear if Farmland plans to reopen the food-processing facility. Company officials say a thorough damage assessment is necessary before making any decision about the plant’s future.

Plant manager Ray Roberts said Farmland has established an employee hotline (507-377-4200) to provide updates and information about upcoming meetings.

&uot;We realize what’s at stake for these employees. These are their lives were dealing with,&uot; he said.