Fire at Colbert County’s Essity plant continues to burn as first responders work to contain blaze
More than 300 firefighters from 30 agencies are battling a persistent fire at an automated paper products plant, with efforts hampered by the highly flammable materials inside
A fire that erupted early Saturday morning at the Essity plant in Colbert County remains active as first responders from multiple agencies continue to battle the smoke. The plant, known for producing highly flammable paper products such as paper towels, napkins, and tissues, has posed significant challenges for firefighting efforts.
Barton Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Shane Taylor described the situation: “The best way to describe it is a haybale on steroids. It’s just a lot tighter and more material”.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as the Barton plant operates as an automated facility, meaning no employees were present at the time of the fire. Essity Southeast Regional Human Resources manager Bryan Dyar credited the warehouse’s design for helping to control the fire, explaining that the building was intentionally constructed to collapse inward, thereby containing the fire to a specific area.
“A fire of this magnitude shuts our operations down temporarily”, Dyar stated. “We are working now to resume operations. We’re evacuating the water. We had some water intrusion, so we’re having that vacuumed out, and we’re making plans to resume operations this week”.
A command center was established on-site, with the local community coming together to support the firefighters by providing food and drinks. Over 30 agencies and more than 300 firefighters, including some from as far away as Mississippi, have been involved in the ongoing efforts to control the flames.
“In some areas, we got small equipment like in my department out here in the county, but we have the resources to pull in from other counties far away, and those people are willing to help”, Taylor noted.
The fire has highlighted the crucial role of volunteer fire departments, particularly in rural areas like Colbert County, where the plant is situated.
Officials have announced that the remaining paper products in the warehouse will be removed once the site is deemed safe, after which the building will be demolished.
“We are so appreciative of our employees, the firefighters, the agencies, the contractors, and the Barton community”, Dyar said. “We’ve had firefighters as far as 60 to 65 miles away that have come in to assist us”.
Assistant Chief Taylor indicated that the fire could continue to burn for several more days. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
