USA Metal fire started with draining of fuel and oil

Firefighters from Lowell, Bethel Heights and Springdale work on spraying down a fire at USA Metal on 721 S Lincoln St in Lowell Thursday afternoon.  Firefighters were called to the scene late Thursday afternoon to fight the blaze.
Firefighters from Lowell, Bethel Heights and Springdale work on spraying down a fire at USA Metal on 721 S Lincoln St in Lowell Thursday afternoon. Firefighters were called to the scene late Thursday afternoon to fight the blaze.

Metal, rubber and liquids from vehicles burned in a fire that erupted Thursday at USA Metal Recycling at 721 S. Lincoln St.

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 blaze.

The 911 call came in at 3:45 p.m. and the flames were under control at 4:34 p.m., said Mike Morris, Lowell fire chief. The fire was mostly out at 5:56 p.m. Employees were draining fuel and oil from a vehicle when the fire started, Morris said.

No one was injured and the fire was contained within a metal building, Morris said. The building contained two vehicles, one fork lift, 20 to 30 tired and four to six drums partially filled with motor oil and antifreeze. The siding on the outside of the building was burned and melted in places and will need to be replaced.

"Everything inside was obviously a total loss," he said.

The cause and damage of the fire were still under investigation Friday.

Morris said the Lowell Fire Department has responded to two fires at the plant in the past couple years. He didn't know how any explosions the plant has had.

Residents of the Southfork subdivision, the neighborhood directly behind the plant, have also been affected by the explosions and fires, said Eric Schein, Lowell City Council alderman and Southfork resident. People in the neighborhood have been witness to fires, explosions, loud noises and pollution in water runoff. Many residents have moved out and sold their homes at low prices.

Schein said he wasn't home Thursday during the fire but saw the smoke from where he was in Bella Vista. He was home on Jan. 4, 2012 when there was an explosion at the plant caused by a propane bottle.

"It was enough that I took cover," he said.

In addition to the Thursday's fire and the explosion on Jan. 4, 2012, there was also an explosion at the plant on Jan. 7, 2013.

Eighteen complaints and investigations have been filed through the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality against USA Metal since it opened at the Lowell location in 2011, according to records on the department's website. Complaints include concerns about fire, explosions, odor, dust, black smoke, chemicals leaking into ground water and air quality.

A message left for Tom Smith, USA Metal chief operation officer, was not returned by 1 p.m. Friday.

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