By SHAWN McGRATH and JUSTIN SCHNEIDER
An Elwood factory will be shuttered for at least the next several days after fire erupted inside the business Tuesday morning.
Elwood Fire Department Assistant Chief Brad Compton said firefighters were called to Var-Chem Products of Indiana, 2403 South J St., at about 7:40 a.m. after a motor overheated and sparked the blaze.
The motor was on top of a large kettle used in a chemical process, and the fire quickly spread to the building’s roof. The kettles can hold about 1,000 gallons of liquid, Compton estimated.
According to the All Business online directory, Var-Chem serves the printing ink industry. MacRae’s Blue Book said Var-Chem also works with paints, varnishes, stains, lacquers and shellacs.
Compton said it took firefighters about two hours to get the blaze under control because the smoke generated by the fire kept them from entering the building.
“A lot of smoke,” Compton said. “We couldn’t get in the building where we needed to be until we got it aired out a little bit.”
While Compton couldn’t immediately identify the substance, he said one of the chemicals produced by the company is used to create the glossy shine common on many newspaper advertising inserts.
“The chemical is a really sticky, gooey chemical,” Compton said, “and once it gets on fire, it’s difficult to put out.”
He credited the building’s sprinkler system with keeping the blaze largely contained. Firefighters fed water through the sprinkler system to help bring the fire under control. Compton said the department’s aerial truck was used to extinguish the fire on the roof.
Compton estimated the damage between $400,000 and $700,000.
“That might be a little high, but there’s structural damage, smoke damage, (and) water damage,” he said. “And some of their (finished) product was damaged, and people won’t be working there for a while.”
The company was founded in New Jersey, according to All Business, and expanded to Elwood in 1982. The building there was expanded in 1998.
The building is owned by the Elwood Community Development Corp., which leases it to the company. The building has about 60,000 square feet of space, according to Greg Linsmeyer, ECDC executive director.
Compton said Var-Chem officials from New Jersey were expected to visit the site Tuesday, but they could not be reached for comment.
Linsmeyer said about 30 people work for the company, and he was optimistic it would return to operations relatively quickly. The fire was contained to mostly the building’s west side.
“I think they’ll be operating in the next few days,” he said. “There’s just damage to one portion of the building. It’s not a total loss or anything.”
Pipe Creek Township volunteer firefighters assisted Elwood at the scene. There were no injuries. Compton said firefighters remained at the scene until about 12:45 p.m.
