Electrical wiring cause of major fire at Zoetis facility
On Monday there was little left of the building that burned Monday night. Press photo by Tom Nelson
On Monday there was little left of the building that burned Monday night. Press photo by Tom Nelson
Firefighters battle a fire at a Zoetis egg-laying facility in Charles City Monday evening. Press photo by Bob Steenson
Firefighters battle a fire at a Zoetis egg-laying facility in Charles City Monday evening. Press photo by Bob Steenson
Firefighters battle a fire at a Zoetis egg-laying facility in Charles City Monday evening. Press photo by Bob Steenson
Firefighters battle a fire at a Zoetis egg-laying facility in Charles City Monday evening. Press photo by Bob Steenson
Firefighters battle a fire at a Zoetis egg-laying facility in Charles City Monday evening. Press photo by Bob Steenson
By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com
Faulty electrical wiring in a newly opened egg-laying facility caused Monday night’s major fire on Zoetis property, Charles City Fire Chief Eric Whipple said in a statement Tuesday morning.
“It was found that an electrical wire began arching due to a malfunction which created a fire within the building,” Whipple said. The Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office and Zoetis assisted in determining the cause of fire.
Approximately 6,000 chickens that produced eggs for vaccine manufacturing were in the building at the time of fire. The building and contents were valued at around $3.08 million Whipple said.
The Charles City Fire Department responded a second time to the site at 12:30 a.m. due to a flare-up and hot spots fueled by the strong wind, the department reported in a statement Tuesday morning. Fire personnel returned to the station at 4:15 a.m.
“Thankfully, no colleagues were injured in the fire; however, we have sustained significant damage and bird loss as a result,” Zoetis Communications Director Elinore White said in a statement. “We want to thank the fire departments, emergency crews and our own colleagues who responded to the fire.”
The company does not expect the fire to impact manufacture and supply of vaccines for customers, White added.
“Colleague and animal safety and production quality remain our top priorities at Charles City,” White said. “Our Zoetis operation will recover from this fire and continue moving forward with the plans and aspirations we have for our manufacturing site here.”
Zoetis has recently announced plans for a $55 million facility expansion, which would include $21.9 million in new building construction, $6.9 million in remodeling and $35.2 million in machinery and equipment. The project would also add six jobs to the Charles City site, at a minimum starting wage of $16.83 per hour.
The project experienced a step forward on Friday, after the Iowa Economic Development Authority approved a tax credit of $864,000 in sales tax credits for the purchase of materials on the project.
The Charles City Fire Department first reported to the fire scene at 4:57 p.m. Monday, and were initially present until almost 11 p.m.
The Zoetis structure was just built over the past year and opened in March 2017. No one was in the building when the fire started.
Gusty north winds and a lack of fire hydrants in the immediate area initially hampered the response by city, county and out-of-county emergency responders, Whipple said..
Fire equipment from Charles City, Floyd, Nora Springs, Nashua, Marble Rock, Colwell, Rockford, Rudd and Osage responded. The Floyd Community Fire Department also had its aerial unit at the scene.
Other agencies assisting were the Charles City Police Department, Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, AMR ambulance, Floyd County Search and Rescue, Floyd County EMA, Charles City Water Department, Zoetis Maintenance and Management, Ron Hillegas and Popp Excavating.
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