Wooden pallets destroyed after fire at Pallet USA, no injures reported

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A fire broke out at Pallet USA in the Town of Hartford Tuesday, March 7th -- destroying a container and wooden pallets. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the fire around 4:30 p.m.

An employee contacted the sheriff’s office to report that a large container used to heat wooden pallets was engulfed with flames. The caller advised that the fire was near other buildings and numerous other pallets.

Personnel from Hartford, Slinger and St. Lawrence Fire Departments responded to assist as well as LifeStar Rescue. Upon deputy arrival, the fire was mostly contained within the container.

There was minimal fire damage to nearby pallets. No other buildings were damaged.

To assist with fire clean up, equipment from Pallet USA was used to remove most of the burned pallets from within the container. As the material was removed Hartford Fire remained on scene with a water presence for further fire hazards.

Hartford Fire was able to say the fire originated inside the container in the area where wiring and heating equipment was located. They believed the cause of fire was related to the equipment.

The burned container was used to heat treat the wooden pallets prior to shipment. This heating process eliminates any bug or other diseases from the wooden pallets to allow for safe shipping.

The container and the wooden pallets are a total loss valued between $17,000 dollars and $20,000 dollars. There were no reported injuries.