The County Press

Firefighters from 12 departments on scene at fire at auto salvage business in Arcadia Twp.Free Access



ARCADIA TWP. — Firefighters from 12 departments from two counties are currently working to extinguish a major structure fire at Jim’s Recycling on North Youngs Road in southern Arcadia Township.

The first alarm was dispatched to the Attica and Arcadia Township fire departments at 2:46 p.m. as a reported pole barn fire with flames and smoke showing at the time. The auto salvage and scrap metal recycling business is located north of Bowers Road. Soon after, the Goodland Township Fire Dept. was called out, as was the Imlay City, North Branch, Dryden and Almont departments in Lapeer County. From Sanilac County, Brown City firefighters have been called to the fire as have Croswell, Deckerville, Minden City and Speaker Township.

Also on scene is the mobile Lapeer County Command Center. The fire at Jim’s Recycling has surpassed the number of assisting fire department that were called to a November 2013 fire in downtown Lapeer to become the single-biggest fire response situation since that time when a two-story building on Nepessing Street burned between Burke’s Flowers and the PIX Theatre.

Workers were inside the pole barn when the fire began, but everyone was safely evacuated from the building and there are no reported injuries. A Lapeer County EMS crew is on site as medical standby and tended to several employees who walked to their rig to be checked out, though they appeared to be fine.

The fire reportedly started in a workshop area and has spread on the property. Junk (scrap) cars are also burning.

Due to nearly calm wind conditions, a billowing plume of black smoke was visible for several hours and could be seen for more than 10 miles.

Providing traffic control and fire scene assistance are deputies from the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office.

Editor’s note: See the Wednesday, May 26 edition of The County Press for more on this developing  fire story, including photos.