ROGERS, Ark. — After an intense fire at a Northwest Arkansas recycling plant burned for days in October, one fire department said it caused thousands of dollars in damage to necessary equipment.
During a Rogers City Council meeting on Tuesday, Rogers Fire Chief BJ Hyde shared that the fire at Marck Industries that started on Oct. 16 did damage or caused issues with equipment.
The city council voted unanimously during the Dec. 11 meeting to approve an amendment to the city's 2024 budget, allowing the fire department to put more than $91,000 toward new protective gear and fire hoses.
The fire sent up a plume of dark smoke that could be seen for miles, and the department worked for days to put it out.
Hyde said the department tried to salvage what they could, but a lot of the gear was ruined in the smoke.
"The gear we tried to clean multiple times, but we can't get that acrid [smoke] smell out of it. So you just know that's contaminated," Hyde said.
The chief added that a few thousand feet of fire hose had to be abandoned because of the fire.
The city will possibly seek reimbursement for the costs from Marck Industries.
Rogers Fire Department Deputy Chief Dusty Qualls told 5NEWS at the time of the fire that the materials burning were plastic and paper, which prompted a hazardous smoke warning.
"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.
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