LOWELL — A fire erupted at USA Metal Recycling at 721 S. Lincoln St. about 3:45 p.m. Thursday.
A black plume of smoke rose into the sky above the metal recycling plant and drifted north with the wind. Police cars with flashing blue lights blocked the street as officers directed traffic away from the area. Flames weren't visible from the street, but firefighters sprayed water into the area the smoke was coming from.
Lowell, Bethel Heights and Springdale fire departments responded to the fire. Mike Morris, Lowell fire chief, didn't respond to a phone call Thursday evening seeking comment.
Darragh, a construction materials distributor, backs up to the plant. A small building on the north east part of the plant’s property, backed up to Darragh, was on fire, said Stephen Tolbert, manager at Darragh.
This is the second time the building has caught fire, Tolbert said. The last time was about a year ago.
“It’s never a dull moment with these guys behind us,” he said.
The back of the building, the side backed up to Darragh, has black and brown scorch marks on an otherwise off-white surface.
Tolbert said he heard a few small explosions and then black smoke drifted over his business. He said it smelled like burned rubber.
“God only knows what’s in there,” he said.
Robyn Edwards, office manager at Culligan, said she heard an explosion from the plant a few months ago that shook the building. Culligan is an international water treatment products company with a location next to USA Metal.
A message left for Eldon Long, mayor of Lowell, was not returned by 6 p.m. Thursday.