WCBC

July 25th, 2018 by WCBC Radio

CUMBERLAND, Maryland – Early Wednesday, July 25 fire and EMS units from four counties were dispatched to the former Artmor Plastics building located at 10500 Wills Mountain Road for a commercial building fire.

The Allegany County 911 Joint Communications Center began taking calls reporting visible flames and smoke in the area just after 1 a.m., according to Todd Bowman, public information officer for Allegany County Department of Emergency Services.

“The fire was brought under control just before daybreak and was contained to a part of the building that firefighters currently can’t gain access to,” Allegany County Deputy Director of Operations Roger Bennett said.

“We can’t safely send firefighters into that area because of the building deterioration from the fire today and general deterioration over the years,” LaVale Fire Department Chief Ryan Reichert said. “Firefighter safety is a top priority on any incident scene and after careful evaluation of this incident, the command staff decided that they will not allow firefighters to enter the structure because of the significant life safety risk it poses.”

Residents can expect to see black smoke in the area for the foreseeable future as the contained fire continues to burn, according to Bennett.

“The fire is contained and poses no risk to life safety or residents in the area,” Bennett said.

Fire officials from LaVale Fire Department will continue to monitor the situation, according to Bennett.

The Maryland State Fire Marshall’s Office is continuing  to investigate the fire that had no reported injuries.

Approximately 100 firefighters from Allegany and Garrett counties in Maryland, Somerset County, Pennsylvania and Mineral County, West Virginia battled the blaze, Bowman said.

For additional information contact Todd Bowman, public information officer for Allegany County Department of Emergency Services at tbowman@alleganygov.org.