CROSSETT, ARKANSAS - A fire whipped by strong winds broke out Thursday morning at the Georgia-Pacific plant in Crossett, Arkansas, and spread to several buildings, prompting authorities to ready air support in case help was needed to put out the blaze. <br>
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No injuries were reported as dozens of firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze at a tissue mill, one of several mills in the Georgia-Pacific complex employing about 2,500 people. <br>
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The Arkansas Forestry Commission prepared two tanker planes to be sent to Crossett. <br>
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Don McBride of the commission said the agency received a call from 911 operators, requesting help. <br>
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McBride said the agency sent one plane to assess the fire from the air, while two others carrying 500 gallons of liquid each were put on standby. <br>
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McBride said, ``I think they're concerned about whether or not the water (from the planes) will collapse the walls. So the fire chief is assessing that but we'll be ready to go if they need us.'' <br>
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Crossett Assistant Police Chief Ronald Rickman said the fire started in a mill building at about 7:15 a.m. <br>
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Rickman said at mid-morning that emergency crews responding to the fire were about to get it under control. He made his assessment based on police radio reports he was monitoring. <br>
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But Callaway said the fire was still blazing and had spread from the mill into an attached warehouse building and a storage area. <br>
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Rickman said fire departments from the surrounding communities of Frost Prairie, Milo and Hamburg were helping fight the blaze. Firefighters from El Dorado and Bastrop, Louisiana, also reportedly were helping. <br>
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Rickman said he didn't know the cause of the fire. Early reports indicated the fire was in a firewall and broke through a roof. <br>
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Georgia-Pacific spokesman Greg Guest said the Crossett complex is one of the company's largest. Georgia-Pacific has been operating in the area since the 1920s and acquired the Crossett plant in 1962.
