Fire crews battle Le Center fire in sub-zero temperatures

By: 
Jarrod Schoenecker

Photo courtesy of Sam Voit.

The scene of the active fire at Fiberglas Insulation in Le Center on late Monday, Jan. 13.

Multiple fire departments responded to the scene of an industrial fire at Fiberglas Fabricators, 315 W Industrial Street, in Le Center, on Monday, Jan. 13, shortly before midnight.

A Le Sueur County Sheriff’s deputy contacted his patrol sergeant at approximately 11:47 p.m. saying that he had observed smoke coming from the roof soffit air vents of the building, observed smoke inside the building, and that the air smelled of smoke, according to the incident report from Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Department.

Le Center Fire Department was dispatched to the scene. A sheriff’s deputy familiar with the business from in the past advised the fire department that there was the possibility of highly flammable/explosive chemicals within the building, according to the report.

Sheriff’s deputies were able to make contact with the owner of the business, Mark Hagelberger, to learn about the possible hazardous contents, which included “resin, acetone, and other chemicals that were highly flammable.” Hagelberger told deputies that the chemicals were stored in round barrel containers in the southwest corner of the building, the same area where the fire was.

A Facebook post by the Le Center Fire Department said, “Due to the scale of the fire, contents of the large building, and weather conditions, additional assistance was requested from Cleveland Fire, Montgomery Fire, and Le Sueur Fire for both manpower and equipment.” The post also said that additional support on scene included Le Center Ambulance, Waterville Fire Department, Cleveland Public Schools, Southern Minnesota EMS, Le Center Police Department, Center Point Energy, Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative, and Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Department.

A bus was provided by Cleveland Public Schools to be used as a warming house as temperatures dipped between negative 5-to-10 degrees Fahrenheit at the time they were fighting the fire. All crews cleared the scene about 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, or a little over five hours on scene.

“It takes many pieces to get the puzzle to fit together to end with a safe and successful outcome. We would like to thank all of the men and women involved in the morning’s incident,” said Le Center Fire Department’s Facebook post.

Le Center Fire Department and Le Center Ambulance were once again called to the same location for a fire on Sunday, Jan. 19, at about 10 a.m. to extinguish flames, which took about two hours and was also in negative 10-to-12 degree temperatures.

This fire remains under investigation by the Le Center Police Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal. The cause of the fire and further details were not available at the time of publication.

Category:

Suel Printing Company

Copyright © Suel Printing Company
All Rights Reserved
200 Main St E
New Prague, MN 56071

Phone: 952-758-4435
Fax: 952-758-4135

Latest articles

Sun, 02/16/2025 - 8:06pm
Fri, 02/14/2025 - 10:21pm
Fri, 02/14/2025 - 11:47am
Fri, 02/14/2025 - 11:46am

If you would like to receive a FREE digital edition with a paid print subscription please call 952-758-4435.