Barrow and Oconee county firefighters were able to completely extinguish a commercial fire in Statham Wednesday night, well over 12 hours after originally being dispatched to the scene.
Authorities were alerted to the fire on Broad Street just before 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Barrow County Emergency Services Capt. Scott Dakin.
"Firefighters responded to the area and found a pallet business that was heavily involved in fire," Dakin explained. "The fire was spreading rapidly so a second alarm was called for more engines, and crews started attacking the fire from a defensive attack to protect property that was exposed to the fire."
Dakin said the severity of the fire prompted Oconee County personnel to respond to the Atlanta Highway-adjacent scene in order to assist with firefighting operations.
The fire was reported to involve several structures, with Dakin noting that there were roughly 10,000 pallets scattered around the scene that provided an enormous amount of incendiary fuel.
Crews attacked the fire from Broad Street and Atlanta Highway, leading to closures that shut down both roadways for several hours.
Firefighters remained on scene long after the roadways had reopened.
"Firefighters remained on the scene of this fire for more than 12 hours to ensure the fire was completely extinguished," Dakin said.
The business where the fire broke out was completely destroyed, and Dakin noted that the incident is now under investigation by the Georgia State Fire Marshal's Office.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/11/468218/barrow-co-pallet-business-destroyed-despite-day-long-firefighting-efforts