Edwardsburg, Mich. — As much as half of 1,000 tons of bulk potash and ammonium sulfate is considered a loss in a fire that destroyed a pole barn storage building here early Feb. 15. Edwardsburg Fire Chief Bruce Stack said the 10-to-15-year-old structure was completely destroyed by the flames, which had some 35 firefighters, including those from three mutual aid departments from nearby townships, battling for about an hour. Thick plumes of smoke could be seen pouring out of the building for nearly two hours as crews continued to work on hot spots. “There was a lot of smoke, but the situation wasn’t all that bad as it dissipated quite quickly,” Stack told Green Markets. He added that it caused no problems for the personnel because all were equipped with breathing apparatus. No one was hurt, but Stack said a firefighter was treated at the scene for minor heat exhaustion. For now the cause of the fire remains under investigation, which has been turned over to the police department. But the chief offered that “it probably didn’t have anything to do with the fertilizer.” He said the owners, who were not identified, had been using the building for storage for quite some time. They told him that it appeared that some 50 percent of the stored supplies probably could be salvaged.
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