Finding cause of scrapyard fire could take weeks

DAYTON — It could take weeks to determine the cause of the scrap yard fire that generated a huge plume of smoke and kept many nearby people inside their homes and offices on Thursday, Dayton Fire Department Director Herbert Redden said Friday, May 21.

As of 8 a.m., the fire at Franklin Iron & Metal, 2015 E. First St., was extinguished. But fire crews were to remain on the scene until about noon and then make periodic checks for hot spots, Redden said.

Fire officials are still looking for the person who initially reported the fire via cell phone. It’s important that fire officials talk with that person because there are no surveillance cameras at the site, Redden said.

Redden said city officials have yet to determine exactly what costs the city will try to recoup from the company, although the city will definitely seek reimbursement for its use of fire-suppressing foam, which Redden said is expensive

“I cannot say that (Franklin) will pay for all of the expenditures on this site,” Redden said.

The city has not determined how much it spent battling the fire, including overtime pay, city spokesman Tom Biedenharn said. But prior to the fire, the city had spent more than half of the $622,700 budgeted for fire department overtime this year, Redden said Thursday.

Brian Huxtable of the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency, said the agency continues to see no contaminants in the air from the fire, but will continue monitoring for them.

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