On Monday, February 19, a call came into the North Royalton Fire Department at about 2:00 p.m. regarding an explosion and fire at 14900 York Road. North Royalton Fire Chief, Bob Chegan was first on the scene of the fully involved fire. He said he could see the thick, black smoke from the North Royalton Fire Station on Royalton Road . The building, owned by DiGioia Suburban Excavators, Incorporated, housed various businesses, such as a pressure washing company and auto repair shop.
According to Chegan, the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated and mutual aid from the Strongsville, Parma, Middleburg Heights, Broadview Heights, Brecksville, Hinckley and Brunswick fire departments were called to the scene, making it a three alarm fire. According to Chegan, the procedure is that with a working fire, MABAS is automatically called. He said that three or four companies are associated with each alarm box call.
This fire was more involved, as the fire took place about 30 feet from property line where Praxair, an industrial gases company. Chegan said that an aerial was set up in the parking lot with a stream set up to protect the nearby cylinders. He noted that many of the cylinders were empty, but some contained gas. The stream was set up to prevent explosions and projectiles. Both DiGioia and Praxair evacuated all employees, according to company protocols. One person checked out by an EMS Squad, who was treated and released. No injuries were reported. It took an hour and a half to get the blaze under control, said Chegan. Traffic from York Road was diverted at that time.
“Since the building and roof collapsed and there was a lot of hot spots, we had to get in some heavy machinery to tear it down to get at those hot spots, so the building is a complete loss,” said Chegan. At this time, the cause of the fire has not been determined.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer