COMBINED LOCKS (NBC 26) — Fire crews from around the region were called in to combat a large fire at the Warehouse Specialists building in Combined Locks around 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
Crews were on-site for over 24 hours before being able to leave the area Saturday afternoon.
Fire departments from around the region were called in to battle the blaze. It is reported that 67 departments were on scene and well over one million gallons of water was used to contain the fire.
The municipal water system was unable to keep up with the extraordinarily high demand. A fill site was set up at the Kimberly boat launch.
Water was tendered to the site and unloaded into portable tanks that were used by the various fire departments.
The building contained fire doors that were properly closed at the time. These doors act as a blocker to prevent further spread of the fire.
Excavators pulled away burning stacks of paper material and collapsed building to help firefighters organize the scene.
The Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) was also on-site for over 24 hours. They set up a base for firefighters to cool off, eat, drink and receive treatment.
Many area restaurants and stores also donated food and bottled water for firefighters. Marv Hollfelder is a founding member of C.E.R.T. He says the response was overwhelming.
"The response from the businesses and individuals in the community again, as in every fire we work is just tremendous. We had people bringing in stuff and we could hardly hand it out fast enough to the firefighters," Hollfelder said.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
