BELPRE - A roof fire at Kraton Polymers in Belpre Monday evening sent an emergency responder to the hospital with dehydration, a company official said.
About 6:30 p.m. Monday, an operator at the Kraton plant observed a small fire on materials on the roof of a tank farm's control room, said Mike White, company spokesman.
"We sounded the in-plant emergency fire alarm, and our in-plant emergency fire crew responded. We also contacted Little Hocking Volunteer Fire Department and Belpre Volunteer Fire Department, as is our normal procedure," White said. "We used a saw to cut open part of the roof to get better access to the smoldering fire."
White said the fire was extinguished in less than 10 minutes.
An emergency responder in full bunker gear was sent to St. Joseph's Hospital as a precautionary measure to be treated for dehydration, and was released around 10:30 p.m. Monday, White said. His name was not released.
The exact cause of the fire was unknown Monday, but White said welding work was being done on a nearby handrail Monday afternoon.
"It's possible some embers got under the roofing material and ignited," he said.
The exact location of the control room was not released Monday night. White said the fire caused no negative impact to the community or the environment.
White said no chemicals were being stored in the control room, and the fire was not near the inside of the structure.
"The problem was contained within our fences, and there is minimal damage to the control room that can be fixed with some patchwork," said White. "Business will go on as usual."
