Officials Monitoring Air after Fire at Foam Core PlantOfficials Monitoring Air after Fire at Foam Core Plant
December 6, 2019

Officials are monitoring air quality near the United Industries foam core products plant in Bentonville, AR after a large fire broke out at the site on Wednesday that possibly spread toxic fumes in the area, local and national news organizations reported.
Fire alarms activated at the site at about 11:30 a.m. in an area of facility that is used to store a Styrofoam product, United Industries Chief Executive Officer and President Mark Ferm said in an interview with news broadcaster KNWA. The executive said a cause of the blaze has not been established.
“Yesterday morning, our production facility in Bentonville, AR had a massive fire located in the back lot of our property,” United Industries said in a post on its Facebook page. “Due to the expedient and admirable efforts of our local fire and police departments, our offices, inventory, and production lines remain intact.”
Employees at the site told Little Rock, AR-based CBS News affiliate THV11 that a silo filled with material collapsed during the incident. Video footage captured at the scene shows a massive fire and large amounts of dark smoke coming from the building.
Crews managed to bring the flames under control within an hour-and-a-half, according to coverage by The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The blaze was fueled by polystyrene pellets and pallets inside the facility. A fire official told the newspaper that crews worked to prevent flames from reaching a 35,000 gal tank of difluoroethane, an explosive material.
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality issued a safety alert and Benton County announced a shelter-in-place order because the smoke generated by the fire was possibly toxic, THV11 said.
Founded in 1980 as a manufacturer of Styrofoam cups, United Industries produces and sells foam core boards under the UltraBoard brand, according to information on the company’s website.
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