OhioMet fire destroys plant's maintenance building

ELYRIA — A fire broke out at Ohio Metallurgical Service on Clark Street on Monday evening, destroying a maintenance building and causing as much as $1 million in damage before it was extinguished. Crews were called to the scene around 7:30 p.m. to find the building fully engulfed, and initial reports of at least one person still inside the building, Assistant Elyria Fire Chief Joe Pronesti said. All employees made it out of the building safely by the time firefighters arrived. A supervisor said he was alerted to the fire when one of his employees came into his office and said there was smoke coming from the maintenance building. But when he first looked outside, it didn't look that bad. "My gut told me to evacuate," he said. The company's workers stood across the street, watching the building burn before they were eventually sent home. Blue and pinkish flames were seen at the front of the building, and a small explosion that sent some onlookers running was caused by welding equipment stored in the building, officials said. Ohio Metallurgical provides heat treatment services for a variety of industries and applications, according to its website, including several aerospace and aircraft companies. While there were some storage barrels that caused some initial concern, the dangerous chemicals used in tempering, hardening and other processes were elsewhere in the Clark Street plant, Pronesti said. The residential area around the plant wasn't in danger, he said. Residents from nearby apartments and homes and onlookers from elsewhere in the city filled the neighboring Firestone Tire parking lot. Pronesti said the concern, rather than a chemical explosion, was chemical runoff in the water. Lorain County Emergency Management Director Tom Kelley said in a text message late Monday evening that a hazmat cleanup contractor was called in to handle the runoff cleanup. Members of Elyria's Wastewater Pollution Control were called to the scene as well, and there was no threat to the water, Pronesti said. Pronesti estimated the damage at about $1 million — $500,000 in equipment and $500,000 for the building itself. "Those guys saved a major industry in Elyria tonight," Pronesti said. An Elyria firefighter was injured when he was hit in the throat with a hose line. He continued to work the fire, Pronesti said. No Ohio Metallurgical workers were injured. Firefighters planned to stay at the plant all night to monitor the building and the state fire marshal was expected to start investigating the cause of the fire today, Pronesti said. Monday's fire was not the first time OhioMet has burned. In 2012, two workers were flown to Cleveland's MetroHealth Medical Center for likely first- and second-degree burns after a small explosion, according to previous reporting. Elyria Township, Carlisle Township, Sheffield and Lorain fire departments assisted. Clark Street between South Logan Street and Abbe Road remained closed overnight. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.