Hyponex fire contained; plant back in operation

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A Monday evening fire at the Hyponex Corporation on White & Parker Road kept firefighters busy for several hours.

According to MFD Division Chief Mark Boys, the fire was reported at approximately 9:45 p.m. and was contained around midnight. MFD responded along with personnel from the fire departments at Ak-Chin and Gila River.

Boys said the fire apparently started in a pile of wood chips and does not appear to be suspicious in nature. Boys estimated the pile was 15 feet high and 30 to 40 feet long. “The environmental impact this time was much less than the tire plant fire back in September,” Boys said.

Boys said the biggest challenge to fighting last night’s blaze was the fact that a lot of water was needed to put out the fire. “There is not a lot of water supply in the area and we had to call in water tenders,” Boys said.

Another concern Boys noted was some power lines to the west of the fire, but the wind was not a major factor last evening, helping firefighters keep the blaze from spreading.

There have been a couple fires in the past at the Hyponex plant, but Boys said the company has been doing a good job of maintaining its “housekeeping” to date. The company employs approximately 50 people.

Hyponex, which kept a fire watch overnight, was reported back in operational mode today.