KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Just before 1 p.m. on Friday a fire broke out at the Kodiak Fishmeal Company down on Gibson Cove Road. Fire Chief Rome Kamai said the fire was in one of the hoppers at the plant. A hopper is a piece of equipment used in the processing of fishmeal.
“And when I got on scene I met with the RP and he advised me that he did have an active fire in one of his hopper units that was beyond their control and that they needed our assistance in extinguishing the fire. And so when my fire engine arrived we were able to stretch hose lines to the back corner of the building on the ocean side and commence extinguishment of the fire.”
Bayside Firefighters were on stand by and Coast Guard fire personnel assisted in putting the fire out, which Kamai said took about 20 minutes.
“And we checked for extension to make sure the fire didn’t travel through any of the ventilation and piping what not that goes through out the building. And there was some, but minimal extension.”
He said no injuries were reported and the cause and extent of damages are currently under investigation.
“The building was fully staffed and they had all evacuated after our arrival. We did work with the plant manager and some of his technicians to help turn off power to certain pieces of equipment that we didn’t want to get affected or draw the smoke and fire toward.”
Gary Anthony is the plant manager for Kodiak Fishmeal and said most of the damage was superficial. He said operations were up and running again within six hours after the fire.
