SCOTT: ‘Devastating, but we are not devastated’
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By BETH ZUMWALT
Beth Zumwalt/Scott County Times
By Saturday, the smoke had cleared and the devastation from the fire was obvious. Gary Westermeyer, president of the company, was on the scene as was the company’s CEO and dozens of on-lookers.
Gary Westermeyer says the fire at the Westermeyer plant, south of Bluffs, was devastating but they are not devastated. The plant burned Friday, Aug. 26 with the first call coming in at approximately 1:50 p.m.
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The fire last Friday at Westermeyers, near Bluffs, moved quickly through the building after starting on the north end.
“We plan to build back better and bigger,” Westermeyer, the president of the company, said. “The CEO of the company flew in Saturday morning and agreed building back was the only option.”
Westermeyer said he was in the plant Friday when the fire alarm sounded and, as usual, emergency protocols were put into place with everyone evacuating the building.
“We employ around 120 people, I’m not sure how many were there Friday, probably around 100,” Westermeyer said. “Once I was outside the building, I could see flames on the north side of the building.”
The state fire marshal’s office has been to the scene, but so far no one is sure what started the blaze that destroyed the 66,000 square foot building.
“We suspect something electrical or a spark,” Westermeyer said.
Story continues below.
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Smoke from the burning Westermeyer plant last Friday could be seen for miles. People in Jacksonville reported seeing the smoke as well as Pittsfield and Griggsville.
The fire gained momentum quickly and the building did not have a sprinkler system.
“Our water supply out here was not good enough to support one,” Westermeyer said. “We will have one when we build back, even if we have to build our own water tower.”
Explosions were reported during the fire, but Westermeyer said those were small propane tanks that got too hot.
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Highway 100 that goes past the Westermeyer plant was shut down in Bluffs and at the I-72 exit. At least 12 fire departments were on the scene, many bringing in loads of water to help fight the fire, so the road had to be kept clear.
Bluffs Fire Department (BDF) responded quickly to the scene.
“You never know what to expect when you get a call like that,” said Alex Barnett, fire chief of the BFD. “Before it was over we had fire departments from five counties, representing 12 fire departments, two EMS crews, three police departments and the underwater dive team out of Jacksonville for scene lights as we expected to be there after dark.”
Barnett said his department was the last to leave and they were back at the station around 9:30 p.m.
“We were so lucky no one got hurt,” Barnett said. “There were a lot of people there and everybody worked together well and nobody got hurt.”
Barnett said the loss was a big one for the community and surrounding area.
“There were a lot of people in the area who worked there,” he said.
Fred Andrews, Winchester Fire Chief, echoed that thought, saying the possibility for injuries were numerous, but none happened.
Westermeyer said he hoped to start the process of rebuilding this week.
“We will wait for the insurance to come, but as soon as they are finished, we will start cleaning the spot and starting over,” Westermeyer said. “We don’t want to lose any of our employees during the rebuilding process, so we are keeping them all on the payroll and having them be on call. We are a major employer in the area and we want to take care of our employees.”
Story continues below.
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Flames shot through the roof and around the edges of the fire at Westermeyers Friday afternoon. There were 12 fire departments from five counties trying to fight the blaze.
With supply chain issues, various shortages, and paperwork, Westermeyer said he would not even begin to predict a reopening date, but said everything would be done as quickly as possible.
Two other buildings on the property were not damaged in the blaze according to Westermeyer. Those will continue to operate as normal .
Westermeyer manufactures components for refrigeration and air-conditioning units.
In 2001,Westermeyer set out on his own after spending many years in the manufacturing sector of the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, founding Westermeyer Industries in the garage of his home.
The operation has grown from the garage to occupy more than 100,000 square feet at the Bluffs plant.
Westermeyer said the portion of the building where the smaller vessels were made was destroyed while the larger vessels are made in the two undamaged buildings in the back. Production will go on there.
Westermeyer said he could not be any more appreciative of the neighboring fire departments who answered the call. Many were called just to haul water to the scene, but, departments who arrived early were exhausted and needed to have a break.
“We also can not thank the community members who brought food, water and snacks for the fire fighters,” Westermeyer said. “We live in a great community.”
