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PB FIREFIGHTERS EXTINGUISH FIRE AT PLANTERS MILL

By The Commercial Staff
Tuesday, March 18, 2008 2:35 PM CDT

Pine Bluff firefighters responded to a fire at the Planters Cotton Oil Mill, 2901 Planters Drive, Monday at about 1:30 p.m., after a report of a fire in one of the five metal buildings used to store cotton seed at the facility.

Firefighters prepare to re-enter the roof top to extinguish the remaining embers Monday afternoon at the Planters Cotton Oil Mill, Inc.

Lt. Shauwn Howell, Pine Bluff Fire Department’s public information officer, said at about 2:30 p.m. the fire had “essentially been knocked down and everything is looking pretty good right now.”

Howell said no injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

First, arriving firefighters reported seeing smoke coming from the roof of the building, and could be seen climbing up a ladder on the side before entering a door on the roof to check for hot spots.

On the other side of the building, trucks pumped a steady stream of water on the roof to cool it down.

Attempts to reach a company spokesman at Planters for comment on the fire were unsuccessful Monday afternoon.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Monday afternoon, and no damage estimate was available. Damage was estimated at $50,000.

It took several hours to extinguish the fire. At about 7:30 p.m., Howell said firefighters were just getting through at the scene where they worked to extinguish smoldering seeds.

“It took a while to get it out,” Howell said.

In May 2005, a fire blamed on a conveyer system caused an estimated $50,000 damage at the mill, which is just off the Martha Mitchell Expressway, and across from the Commerce Road exit.

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