Recordpub.com - Brimfield fire lights up skies

By Colin McEwen

Record-Courier staff writer

BRIMFIELD -- Huge plumes of thick black smoke could be seen for miles in a cloudless sky Saturday night as firefighters from three counties battled a blaze at Puritan Systems at 1161 Holiday Drive.

No injuries were reported, but residents from nearby homes were evacuated and relocated to Brimfield Elementary School on S.R. 43 because of the threat of the fire spreading and the presence of caustic nitrogen tanks near the flames.

Puritan Systems is a scrap rubber reduction plant. Holiday Drive is located near the intersection of S.R. 43 and Interstate 76.

Firefighters from approximately 10 fire departments responded shortly before 8 p.m., said Brimfield Police Chief David Blough, as water tanker trucks shuttled behind him, back and forth from the staging area on the other side of S.R. 76.

He said workers at Purtian Systems left the premises around 3:30 p.m., and there was no indication of exactly how the fire began.

"I haven't seen a fire of this size before in Brimfield," said Blough, adding firefighters were fighting the fire in a defensive position to prevent the blaze from spreading. "When firefighters arrived the fire was fully involved."

He said that when firefighters arrived, not only was the 25,000-square-foot building engulfed in flames, but so were two vehicles parked near the building.

Traffic from nearby S.R. 76 and S.R. 43 was backed up -- at times for more than a mile -- as gawkers slowed down for a peek.

The smell of burning rubber filled the cool evening air when the westerly winds briefly shifted direction. Smoke from the blaze reportedly could be seen as far away as Barberton and Palmyra.

Bystanders gathered on the porch of the closed America's Best Value Inn and Suites adjacent to Puritan Systems to catch a better view.

Some took photos with their camera phones, others huddled on the steps to watch.

Robert Kannal, who represents the owners of the inn, warned onlookers they would be responsible for their own safety while they watched.

He said he had witnessed five to seven fires at the plant this year, "but this is the big one."

Blough expected evacuees from nearby condominiums to return to their homes within four hours, but the American Red Cross did respond with assistance.

Residents and businesses were alerted with the township's new Code Red -- a telephone emergency alert system.

Dick Wilson of Akron drove from his Akron home with his wife to view the blaze up close. He spotted the huge plumes of smoke miles away in Firestone Park.

"There wasn't a cloud in the sky," he said. "We looked up and knew that something was seriously on fire."

The smoke clouds also could be seen from the other direction on the east side of Ravenna.

Among the dozens of emergency vehicles responding from countless departments, were Brimfield, Ravenna, Ravenna Township, Rootstown, Kent, Suffield, Hartville, Tallmadge, Edinburg and Streetsboro.

The Portage County Sheriff's Department responded to provide security, as did police from Kent State University and Brimfield.

"From a police standpoint, we were just supporting the fire departments," said Blough.

Reporter Diane Smith contributed to this report.

15.	Posted by tonyakron August 31, 2008
	Interesting comments. I live in the development directly behind Puritan and in the unit closest to the Puritan building. At about 7:15PM I heard a slight explosion, which sound a bit like the firecrackers that seem a frequent feature of living in Brimfield. I went out my front door, and saw a few flames on the roof and lots of thick black smoke. A neighbor was outside on a cell phone, but I called 911 just to be sure it was reported. Then I put on shoes, grabbed my wallet and pet and left the area. Police and fire response seemed slow to me, but in actuality was probably quick. However, it was surprising to me that so many people were stopping or staying in the area to watch. I had a great deal of difficulty trying to contact Brimfield fire department several hours later to find out it was okay to return home. Then an hour later was told to evacuate again due to cyanide gas levels. Latest is that we cannot return home until 10AM Monday (maybe). I am extremely grateful to the fire departments that worked on the blaze so that it did not spread to any of the homes, including my unit. I am also sympathetic to those workers who lost their jobs in this massive fire. I have always been a little concerned about the nitrogen tanks, but those were also safely maintained by the fire department. I think SR43 should have been closed, and the cars stopped on I76 ticketed. This rubbernecking, despite inate human curiousity, causes problems everywhere and everytime it happens. Some one needed to immediately make some decisions in Brimfield about how to handle this, and those decisions were slow in coming. Perhaps a disaster plan does not exist or was not fully inclusive for this type of problem. In any event, despite the complaints, the fire departments involved are certainly to be praised for their hard work.

14.	Posted by hill5 August 31, 2008
	All we can do now is sit back and wait. Don't assume anything until we find out the truth!!! I know people have already started rumors as I work with the public. I got a code red phone call an hour and a half ago and the people living in the new condos, some housing back there, and the Relax Inn has all been evacuated until 10am tomorrow morning. We have to make sure our air conditioners are off (I'm very thankful its not to muggy right now lol) and windows are closed until then as well. There are still constant fire trucks coming and going from all departments. I even saw an ambulance from Canton. So it is so great to know that we have so much assitance from so many other departments. I hope these men and women who will be there atleast another 24 hours have just as good of luck as the others and are able to get this under control with no injuries or deaths. I hope they know there are a lot of people that will do whatever they can to help!!!!!!! God Bless them all!!!!!!!!!!!!

13.	Posted by mike09 August 31, 2008
	Squidward, I would have to agree with you on that, we do need to maintain a positive outlook on this. I too, commend all of those who risked their lives and thanks god that no lives were lost. But it is also a sad day when Americans look ONLY to the positives and effectively turn a blind eye to the negitives. Although no one was injured or killed in the fire itself, someone could have just as easily of gotten killed by a passing car as they got out of their car on the side of the I-76 on ramp to look over the fence at the flames. Several times I saw people crossing the on ramp as cars were accelerating towards them to enter the highway. Where was the authority here? This is not anything directed towards any of the brave policemen who risk their lives on a daily basis, it is directed towards the gaps in the procedures and policies that caused this to happen. We must ask questions to get results. God bless.

12.	Posted by School mom August 31, 2008
	It's a sad day when people make negative comments about someone losing their job and their livelihood, including the owner of this company and his huge loss. I'm sorry to all of you who work for this company; I pray that you will get the assistance you need and find another job, if needed. I pray for the owner whose years of hard work went up in flames in an instant. I commend every firefighter and police enforcement officer who was at that horrible fire and helped to keep it from spreading, checking to see if anyone was in the building and risking their lives to do their job. It's a shame that we have people out there mocking them for the type of job they did with the environment they were surrounded by. Sure, there were people gawking, but if they would have just kept going, the police would have been able to do their job (in reference to Mike09 post). We saw the smoke all the way in Alliance and knew there was something horrible going on somewhere north. All we could see was a thick, black 'cloud' on an otherwise beautiful, cloudless sky, so we prayed. In regard to the comment about the Red Cross not being able to answer the question about being able to provide more assistance. The Red Cross is run on donations, both monetary and materialistic. If the help is not there, they aren't able to provide it. That's why donations to these non-profit organizations is so important so the resources CAN be there when the time is needed. God bless everyone involved and I hope that those who have made negative comments about this situation will step to the plate and apologize.

10.	Posted by hill5 August 31, 2008
	Ok, honestly this is not a pitty ME party. So everyone who is going to try to make this all about just THEM has got to stop!! There are a lot of people who are going to be effected by this and I hope and pray that they are able to find a job the way this economy is at the moment. Thankfully though, most of them should be able to receive unemployment even though it is not their normal pay, atleast they will not do without during their job search. For those who will not be able to recieve it, I hope and pray you are able to overcome this and find a job quickly!! I live not even a mile from this, and it has been crazy here. I am thankful though no homes were lost and no one was injured during this horrible fire!!! Lets not sit here and be negative!! Be thankful, help where you can, and pray for these people who have just lost their lively hood!!!

8.	Posted by mike09 August 31, 2008
	First of all, I would like to say that the comment by ward 34 is completely uncalled for. You should be sympathizing with a fellow community member who has just lost his main source of income. In this economic climate we need unity not ignorant people like you who divide us. How would you feel in this economic climate if you could not support your family or pay to fill your gas tank much less? Secondly, the Brimfield Police Department is to blame for having absolutely no control over the situation. I'm at a complete and utter loss of words for how poorly they handled it. I drove towards the smoke as soon as I saw it out of curiosity and concern, as did many other people. The traffic was backed up for at least a mile in each direction and I was shocked to see that cars with their hazards on lined the side of the I-76 on ramp. Tanker trucks carrying water from the staging area to the fire had a hard time getting through all of this traffic. The police should of shutdown 43 immediately and diverted traffic out of the area. Instead, they just asked people to stay away from the area through the "code red" system. Did they not expect community members and out-of-towners coming from I-76 to satisfy their curiosity and add to the confusion by driving to the scene to see what was going on?