By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Fire departments from several jurisdictions battled a large fire Jan. 15 at a closed Georgia-Pacific plywood plant in Emporia, Virginia.
• Strong winds spread embers into nearby woods and sparked 10-12 brush fires, some up to two miles from the site.
• Propane tanks at the shuttered facility were a major concern, with some exploding but no evacuations reported.
• Fire crews remained on scene into the following day to extinguish hot spots and prevent further spread.
EMPORIA, VA — Multiple fire departments responded Jan. 15 to a large blaze at the closed Georgia-Pacific plywood plant in Emporia, where strong winds complicated firefighting efforts and spread embers into surrounding areas.
Firefighters from the Greensville Volunteer Fire Department and mutual aid units from Emporia, Dolphin, Lawrenceville and other communities worked to contain the blaze, which ignited at the shuttered facility and spread embers into nearby woods and across Highway 58.
Greensville Volunteer Fire Chief Jeff Rowlings identified propane tanks at the plant as a significant hazard; some tanks exploded during the incident, but crews did not need to evacuate the area.
Responders extinguished approximately 10 to 12 brush fires sparked by flying embers up to about two miles from the plant and continued to battle hot spots on the property into the following day.
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, with crews working in cold conditions to ensure the blaze did not spread beyond the site.