ROGERS, Ark. — A fire at an industrial building in Rogers sent a plume of dark smoke into the air that could be seen for miles on Oct. 16.
According to the Rogers Fire Department (RFD), the fire began at Marck Industries, a recycling and waste management company on 3507 N Arkansas St. Everyone within the building was evacuated.
Rogers deputy chief Dusty Qualls said they got a call for a reported grass fire around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. When their first fire engine arrived, they saw a quickly moving debris fire that was wind-driven, which caught one of the buildings on fire.
Although it started as a 3-alarm fire, Rogers Public Department (RPD) public information officer Don Lisi confirmed it was a 4-alarm structure fire.
According to Lisi, two people were injured, and one was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The fire department confirmed a hazardous smoke warning was issued to residents near the fire. The warning recommended children, the elderly, and people with respiratory problems should seek shelter and shelter in place.
RFD told 5NEWS that most of the materials burning are plastic and paper.
"People should be concerned about any type of smoke. Unfortunately, this smoke is a little bit more toxic due to the materials that are burned. So if they can avoid it, avoid it at all cost," Qualls said.
Around 15 different agencies responded to the fire. The assisting agencies brought 270,000 gallons of water in a total of 90 loads to help extinguish the fire on Wednesday. Arkansas Forestry brought a bulldozer to cut the fire break.
Nearly six hours after the fire is believed to have started, Lisi said the fire had been contained to a "manageable area."
Lisi said the fire department had five trucks monitoring overnight. The fire is estimated to continue for a few more days with no exact timeline given by Rogers fire. They said residents could expect more smoke as it continues to burn in the next few days until they can "100% get it put out."
Officials have not provided details about how the fire began.
5NEWS will update this article as more information becomes available.
Rogers Industrial Fire
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