Recordpub.com - Brimfield fire officially extinguished Fire chief says of blaze: "This was the big one'

By Colin McEwen
Record-Courier staff writer
BRIMFIELD " The fire at Puritan Systems in Brimfield that started last Saturday night, and rekindled several times throughout the week and involved more than 30 agencies is officially extinguished.
Brimfield Fire Chief Bob Keller said the fire department packed up the last of the equipment Thursday at 4:27 p.m. and left the scene.
"This was the big one," he said, referring to the size, longevity and amount of departments responding to the blaze. "This is the largest fire I've seen in my five years as the chief. It was quite an operation."
Keller said the cause of the fire at the rubber reduction plant is still under investigation by the Brimfield Fire Department, the Brimfield Police Department, Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The 25,000-square-foot building is a complete loss, Keller said, but the complete damage estimate is not yet known.
Puritan Systems, located at 1161 Holiday Drive, is a business that takes bundles of scrap rubber and grinds it to powder for reuse, said Keller.
The fire, near the intersection of S.R. 43 and Interstate 76, started just before 8 p.m. Saturday, sending huge black plumes of smoke into the night sky.
Firefighters from three counties battled the blaze throughout night, while nearby residents were evacuated with the threat of liquid nitrogen tanks exploding because of the flames.
On Tuesday, the fire flared-up again " Keller said it's possible that a burning ember underneath the debris ignited rubber, causing the fire to begin again.
Several times throughout the week, the Brimfield Fire Department responded extinguishing flare-ups.
"An ember can sit for hours, then flare up," said Keller, adding area agencies responded to the fire during the week to offer support with battling the fire, security, traffic control and emergency management.
The Red Cross responded to help displaced residents Saturday night and support firefighters with refreshments. It also opened an evacuation center at Field High School providing cots and food. Residents returned to their homes after the threats from the liquid nitrogen tanks subsided.
Keller praised the efforts of more than 30 agencies involved.
"In Portage County, our fire departments, EMS and police officers all practice for large-scale disasters," he said. "This was a great example of how all that training came together to utilize the experiences of all the agencies. Everyone did very well."
Giving assistance or fighting the fire this week were fire departments from Atwater, Brimfield, Charlestown, Edinburg, Hiram, Kent, Mantua-Shalersville, Paris, Randolph, Ravenna, Ravenna Township, Rootstown, Streetsboro, Suffield, Brady Lake, Twinsburg, Canton City, Canton Township, Coventry, Cuyahoga Falls, Jackson Township, Milton Township, Plain Township, Tallmadge and Valley.
Also giving assistance were the Red Cross, Community Ambulance, Portage County Emergency Management Agency, Ohio Edison, the Portage County HAZMAT, the Portage County Sheriff's Office, the Ohio Highway Patrol and numerous police departments.