Hazelwood Fire Department to Meet with Republic Regarding Saturday Fire

The with help from more than five neighboring fire districts was able to contain , despite temperatures in the '90s and lots of combustable material.

Although no source has been identified for the fire, said he plans to speak with management about violations that could have made for an uglier situation.

“They seem to have a lot more product surrounding the outside of the building, outside of the sprinklered area than they normally would have so that’s something we’re gonna be talking about with management here Monday morning I’m sure,” Chief Radel told Betsey Bruce of KTVI Fox 2 News on Saturday.

Radel indicated several sprinkler heads did go off inside the shed area that caught fire. The , and had combustible material stored around the outside of the sorting sheds which have sprinkler systems.

Radel said he had to bring in a front loader from the Hazelwood Public Works Department to help sort through the trash as firefighters looked for hot spots.

When the company approached for a land use permit in August of last year which included the outdoor storage, facility manager Mike Dulin explained all material is stored in open space with some covered via sheds.

"Paper sorting is done inside," he said at that time. "In order to control litter, three-high jersey blocks and a fence were installed around the facility. In addition, a full-time groundskeeper blows the litter back to the plant, but the facility doesn’t have a front or back wall."

He also said all areas covered and uncovered have sprinkler systems, at which time Council approved the permit. The facility has 66 employees and does over-the-road trucking, sorting of materials, storage, bailing, warehousing, and general operations. The Hazelwood facility handles large bulky items and all residential recycling goes to the company’s south-side facility.

The biggest concern was ensuring the fire didn't spread next door to . Tim Moloney, the district manager for AmeriGas Company, said he had 40,000 gallons stored at his location, which could have made for a large explosion.

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