'We had a war zone': Chester plant fire cleanup continues, investigation ongoing

Aug. 28--CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. -- Chester County, SC

South Carolina officials continue to investigate the cause of a massive fire outside a Chester County plant earlier this week, producing smoke that could be seen for miles.

The Chester County Sheriff's Office has relinquished the investigation to SLED, said Grant Suskin, spokesman for the sheriff's office. The State Law Enforcement Division has fire investigators with the expertise and resources to investigate such a large fire, said Tommy Crosby, SLED spokesman.

The Chester fire marshal also is part of the investigation, officials said. No other information about what may have caused the fire outside the Carolina Poly plant has been released.

Carolina Poly Inc. produces trash bags, plastic sheeting, shrink films and other products. Part of Poly-America, one of the largest polyethylene film manufacturers in the U.S., Carolina Poly announced in 2015 a $100 million investment in Chester County. The 500-square-foot facility at 1580 Lancaster Highway began production in 2017.

The fire started Monday around 5:15 outside the plant located between Chester and Interstate 77. Trailers, tires, oil drums, and pallets of plastics burned in the fire, officials said.

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Dozens of firefighters worked the fire Monday and Tuesday, including groups that kept the fire from spreading to the Carolina Poly building, said Eddie Murphy, Chester County Emergency Management Director.

Investigators found that two spots of the fire just yards from the building were kept at bay by firefighters, Murphy said.

"We had a war zone out here," Murphy said. "These firefighters kept putting water on the fire to protect the building."

All Chester County fire departments, as well as firefighters from York, Lancaster and Cherokee counties, assisted, Murphy said. South Carolina forestry commission workers and others used heavy equipment to build fire breaks to keep the fire from spreading, Murphy said.

The fire was not under control until Tuesday.

The plant was evacuated Monday during the fire. No injuries to plant workers were reported.

Lesia Kudelka, spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, said South Carolina's division of the Occupational safety and Health Administration (OSHA,) is not investigating the fire.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and federal Environmental Protection Agency set up air and water testing stations on and around the property after DHEC advised nearby residents to stay away from the fire and its smoke.

Testing did not show any air or water quality problems in the days afterward, Murphy said..

Contractors continue to clean up the fire site under supervision of state and federal agencies, Murphy said.

Chester firefighters continue to monitor the site to make sure no flareups occur, Murphy said.

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