Fire crews in Pendleton, S.C., on Nov. 6 responded to an early-morning blaze at FoxFarm Soil and Fertilizer Co., a producer of soil mixes, liquid and dry fertilizers, micro-brewed liquid plant foods, and natural fungicides and insecticides.
“We arrived to find heavy fire on the exterior in the hopper system and fire had spread into two structures,” the Pendleton Fire Department said in a Facebook post. “With a quick response from Pendleton, Zion, Sandy Springs, and Ladder Company 109, the fire was quickly contained.” According to local news reports, fire crews arrived at the site at 5:30 a.m. and had the fire extinguished by 6:00 a.m.
The cause of the fire and the extent of damage at the facility was not reported. Pendleton Fire Department Assistant Chief Tommy Brock was transported to a local hospital after falling and breaking his leg at the site, according to the department’s Facebook page. He was listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
FoxFarm’s 60,000 square-foot manufacturing and packaging facility in Pendleton was opened in 2015 at a reported cost of $6.9 million. The company’s products include liquid, dry, slow-release, and soluble fertilizers, potting soil and soil conditioners, and a range of soil supplements and inoculants. FoxFarm’s many brands include Happy Frog®, Ko Ko Bop™, Bush Doctor®, and Strawberry Fields®.