Oskaloosa Fire Battles Industrial Fire

The Oskaloosa Fire Department battled an industrial fire at the Church & Dwight facility southeast of Oskaloosa on Thursday morning.

The call for help at the Church and Dwight facility on the southeast side of Oskaloosa went out just before 6am on Thursday morning. That facility is located on Highway 23, approximately 1 mile southeast of Oskaloosa.

Personnel were evacuated from the facility before the fire department arrived, and the plant manager told Oskaloosa News that no employees were injured.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department had a few tense moments upon their arrival, as a considerable amount of fire had been found in an oven area. The fire was also in a chimney with fire extending onto the roof of the structure.

Without a nearby fire hydrant, the Oskaloosa Fire Department set up rural operations. That type of situation utilizes portable tanks that are filled by tanker trucks hauling water. The pumper trucks then siphon the water from those portable tanks.

Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff said that at approximately 6:40 am, mutual aid from the Pella Fire Department was made. With fire in the chimney of the facility, Neff said there was no way for them to reach it. “We needed to get up there and get water running down the chimney,” said Neff.

The 6 firefighters from Pella joined the 9 from Oskaloosa on the scene.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department was called back to the facility two additional times during the day to cool off hot spots that had reappeared.