River Valley plant hit by second fire in a month
For the second time in a month, fire fighters were called to the scene over the weekend at a fire at an animal rendering plant near Hanceville.
Responders from Hanceville, Garden City, Blount County, Bremen, and the Cullman County Hazmat team were summoned Saturday to quench a fire at the River Valley Ingredients facility located on County Road 508 off Alabama Highway 91, just east of Interstate 65.
The fire was reported shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, and was contained soon after crews arrived.
Unlike the July 30 fire that caused extensive damage at the plant, the Saturday fire was smaller and limited to a single area, said Hanceville fire chief Rodger Green.
“This fire just started in a little maintenance shop, and stayed pretty much contained within that shop,” said Green. “There was minimal damage; really hardly any damage at all. And there were no injuries.
“The fire was brought under control within the first 20 minutes or so,” he added. “Fire fighters remained there for about an hour and a half, just to make sure nothing flared back up and the smoke was clear of the building.”
Green said the most recent fire did not cause long-term issues for the plant’s production capability, though it has not operated at full capacity since the July 30 fire. “That earlier fire had shut down part of their operations, but beyond the initial response, which may have affected things for half a day or so, this last one did not,” he said.