Missouri DNR: North American Tie and Timber fire in Cape Girardeau did not breach creosote tank

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources determined that last week’s fire at North American Tie and Timber did not reach the holding tank containing creosote, according to an Environmental Protection Agency spokesperson.

After inspecting the site, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources did not request federal assistance from the EPA for the fire.

The lack of public health concerns emanating from the fire was fortunate, considering the Cape Girardeau Fire Department’s observation that the facility works with carcinogenic materials and did not have built-in fire suppression systems and no hydrants within nearly half a mile of the facility.

Cape Girardeau fire chief Randy Morris said the railroad tie facility was built in a “no-man’s land” in Cape Girardeau County that is not served by any fire department.

Morris said the creosote, which is classified as a hazardous material, did leak from a tank, but was contained in a concrete holding area. He said the material will have to be removed from the facility by a hazmat team.

According to the EPA, creosote is a wood preservative that poses cancer and non-cancer health risks to workers in wood-treatment facilities. But the EPA said it “did not find health risks of concern for the general public, nor for workers who handle creosote-treated wood after application” in a response to a Southeast Missourian inquiry.

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to a fire at 4715 Nash Road on Friday, Sept. 13.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy fire and smoke showing from the roof, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. “The incident was upgraded to a second-alarm for additional manpower … due to the closest hydrant being over 2,300 feet away from the facility. Defensive operations commenced as many of the structural members were compromised, causing significant safety concerns if firefighters were to make entry. Approximately 30 minutes after arrival, an explosion occurred inside the building near a creosote container.” At that time, a withdrawal order was given to firefighters to retreat to a safe area. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire within two hours, according to the release. Missouri DNR and the Missouri State Fire Marshal were contacted, the release stated.

“After an environmental review, the majority of the runoff from the creosote tanks and water from fire suppression was contained in a predetermined containment area within the facility,” the release stated.

The fire is under investigation, but the fire department said the fire appears to be accidental.

The media release noted that North American Tie & Timber is not in the city limits and does not opt into the paid fire protection offered by the city of Cape Girardeau. It added that no built-in fire suppression systems were present in the facility.

Morris said Cape Girardeau has codes that require commercial buildings to install sprinkler systems, but the county does not. Morris said the state requires fire alert systems, but not prevention systems. He said such systems can be expensive, and many business build outside the city limits to avoid city codes and regulations and save money.

Morris added that the business will be billed for the services the department provided, which he said will likely end up being more expensive than a sprinkler system. He said the city will respond to such incidents and work out the costs on the back end rather than not respond to a fire, particularly one like this one where hazardous materials were known to be on site.

Morris said the building was severely compromised in the fire and he believed the company will have to rebuild. He said firefighters were concerned about their safety because “we knew they have some pretty nasty stuff,” he said, adding that multiple departments had to come together, using pump trucks to get enough water to the facility.

In an emailed response to questions, North American Tie and Timber plant manager Tony Prince said “members of the management team with North American are currently participating in the investigation related to the fire.” Prince did not immediately respond to questions about the plant’s fire protection and the Cape Fire Department’s statement about the facility lacking fire suppression systems. He indicated more responses might be answered following the investigation.

Several Scott City residents and city leaders opposed the plant building a facility within its city limits several years ago.

At city council meetings in 2017, residents of Scott City expressed fears of cancer cases due to the creosote. Meetings in opposition of the plant drew standing-room only crowds at the council meetings. Eventually, the facility was built on Nash Road instead of a location within the limits of Scott City.