A fire at the Pacific Steel and Recycling facility in Lockwood on Monday afternoon torched a building and specialized equipment, likely causing more than $1 million in damage.
A Pacific employee suffered minor cuts and scrapes, according to Lockwood Fire Department Chief John Staley, but declined to be taken to a hospital.
The fire was in a building that makes up part of the shredding operation at 3385 Coulson Road, Staley said. The Billings Gazette reported in 2012 that the facility would be a part of a $20 million expansion and that it would be Montana’s first car shredder.
A lack of water available on-site to fight the fire caused headaches for responding firefighters, and the blaze raged for more than an hour before firefighters gained the upper hand, Staley said. The only hydrant at the facility relied on a tank in the ground that was sucked dry in about five minutes.
That meant six tender trucks shuttled in water from other charging hydrants throughout the blaze.
“I can’t recall in my 40 years using six tenders on a fire,” Staley said.
The tenders had 3,000-gallon tanks, but the hoses used at the fire can spray between 500 and 1,000 gallons per minute — and this fire needed water.
The main part of the fire appears to have been in a part of the facility for sorting metal, Staley said.
He said Pacific employees reported that they suspect metal being shredded in one building caught fire and then traveled onto the conveyor belt into another building intended for sorting shredded metals. In that building chemicals and oils used to treat the metal, along with conveyors and other equipment, fueled the fire.
"All of it was capable of burning and did," Staley said.
Multiple other firefighting agencies responded, including the Billings Fire Department, Shepherd Volunteer Fire, Laurel Volunteer Fire and the Billings Logan International Airport's fire crews. Staley credited those agencies as providing critical help during a difficult situation.
A Billings Fire Department ladder truck was also heavily involved, hitting the fire from above, alongside a Lockwood ladder truck.
Some heavy equipment from Pacific was used to remove burnt roofing and siding to open up the structure and help expose it to water.
A Billings Fire Department ladder truck was also heavily involved, hitting the fire from above, alongside a Lockwood ladder truck.
Some heavy equipment from Pacific was used to remove burnt roofing and siding to open up the structure and help expose it to water.
The plume of smoke from the fire fluctuated in color and thickness throughout the day as firefighters continue to hit different parts of the structure with water.