Polymer catches fire at industrial facility

BY PETE WICKLUND
Journal Times

Saturday, March 22, 2008 10:29 PM CDT

STURTEVANT — Firefighters are crediting a building’s alarm and sprinkler system with containing damage after a fire early Saturday morning at a plastic polymer warehouse facility in the Renaissance Business Park.

Fire officials said a problem with a light fixture is the likely cause of the smoky fire, which was reported at 4:49 a.m. at BASF Corp., 1630 Enterprise Drive. The facility is located south of Highway 20 and east of Highway H.

There were no injuries.

Sean Marschke, Sturtevant’s public safety director, said a light fixture in the ceiling area of the northeast portion of the warehouse caught fire and then somehow ignited large bags of polymer pellets that were stacked below on a pallet.

Nobody was in the building at the time and a fire alarm system alerted Sturtevant dispatch.

The building’s sprinkler system also activated, said Marschke and Lt. Kevin Slotty, the Sturtevant Fire Department’s fire investigator.

“That fire could have been catastrophic if it were not for the sprinkler system,” Slotty said.

Some fire crews remained on the scene until just after 8 a.m. Saturday, handling overhaul work. There was a large amount of water in the facility, Marschke said.

Slotty did not have a total damage estimate Saturday afternoon, but said each bag of the polymer had a value of approximately $1,000. Local company officials for BASF, an international chemical firm based in Germany, were unavailable for comment.

BASF purchased Johnson Polymer from JohnsonDiversey in 2005. At that time, officials said Johnson Polymer was one of the world’s leading producers and suppliers of water-based resins.

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