By james art FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. (KFVS) – On the chaotic day of a large fire at a battery recycling plant in Fredericktown, Madison County 911 received call after call.
Director Kyle Rogers says they received about 73 calls about the fire at the plant.
He says even though it was a smaller department with only seven employees and there were new workers, it was a tough day for everyone.
Rogers said he first received a radio call around 1:37 p.m. from a local firefighter to call the Fredericktown Fire Department and the Cherokee Pass Conservation District for help.
Within two hours, they had more than 15 fire departments in Fredericktown, including St. Francois County, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Bollinger County and more.
Rogers says that despite all the chaos, he’s grateful that many agencies have come out in support.
“It was controlled chaos. I can’t thank my people at dispatch, it was rude. Small agencies shouldn’t, I mean, shouldn’t happen like this, but it does. I mean, you’re limited in what you have as resources here. Luckily we have friends north of us and like I said, Chuck really helped us out,” Rogers said.
All operations have ceased and the facility will not be used for the foreseeable future.
No word yet on the cause of the fire, but we’ll continue to update you both on air and online as we learn more.
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