BARTLETT – Officials consider a Bartlett fertilizer plant’s structure to be a “total loss” after a fire occurred late Sunday, Aug. 20.
The fire call came in for the American Plant Food facility at 8:33 p.m. No one was in the building at the time and there were no deaths or injuries.
Since the blaze was a three-alarm fire, multiple crews across Williamson County responded to the scene.
“Given that this started as a chemical fire, the approach to extinguish is different,” Bartlett Municipal Government said on social media Sunday night. “Water will be dropped on the fire (Monday) morning to fully stop it, which is why it will remain an active fire until then.”
Hazardous materials crews were called to the scene as the plant contains chemicals for making fertilizers; however, there were no materials that would cause an explosion. The structure was allowed to burn with preventative measures focused on keeping the fire from spreading.
The fire caused a six-acre grass fire behind the plant, which was contained by 3:30 a.m. Monday. Several hot spots popped up throughout Monday, starting small fires in the field behind the plant.
Safety of the public was the primary concern for officials. Air quality monitoring began Sunday night and will continue throughout the cleanup process, which is anticipated to take several weeks.
Bartlett city officials said the fire was fully contained in a final update in the morning Tuesday, Aug. 22, but there was still smoldering and the fire continued to slowly burn further. They said Bartlett fire will remain on watch the entire time.
Bartlett Mayor Chad Mees said he appreciated mutual aid and support from local officials, such as Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell, Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles and Bell County Judge David Blackburn.
“We also appreciate all the donations of water and Gatorade. Donations can be dropped off today at city hall,” Mees said in a statement. “We appreciate the entire community’s support and resiliency in keeping Bartlett strong.”
Williamson County Fire Marshal’s Office has been on-scene to investigate the cause of the fire.
“ We appreciate the entire community’s support and resiliency in keeping Bartlett strong.”
- Bartlett Mayor Chad Mees
