A reduced crew of firefighters remains on site at the fire that broke out Friday at General Electric’s Appliance Park in Louisville.
Okolona Battalion Chief William Schmidt said the fire isn’t still burning, but there are spots smoldering and smoking. About 200 firefighters battled the blaze Friday at Appliance Park; now, Schmidt said that force has been reduced to about 30.
“We still have people out there. I couldn’t tell you when we’re not going to have people out there,” he said.
Now, crews are working to pick through the building’s wreckage to reach what Schmidt called “hot spots.”
“We’re having to utilize wrecking crews and contract crews to be able to dismantle the steel, to be able to safely reach those areas,” he said. “And that’s just time consuming.”
The shelter-in-place that was in effect for those living near Appliance Park was lifted Sunday night. Though technically General Electric could resume operations in its other buildings at the plant, the company has told employees the facility will be closed this week. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
As the fire burned Friday and over the weekend, residents near the plant reported debris and property damage. GE has set up a phone number to handle those claims: 888-456-7445, and operators will be available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
