Firefighters face unique challenges at Hartsville plant

Whether it was fighting fire, smoldering debris, smoke, water runoff or even unsuspecting motorists, emergency responders in Hartsville faced one challenge after another Monday and Tuesday, and officials say they aren’t out of the woods just yet.

But thanks to the work of more than 150 personnel from local, county and state agencies, the fallout from Monday’s fire at the Hartsville Rainbow Operation plant, which employs about 60 people, could have been a lot worse.

Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to visit Hartsville on Wednesday to view the site. Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington said Haley called Tuesday to offer help in the recovery effort.

The Pee Dee Chapter of the American Red Cross also opened a site Monday night at the Coach T.B. Thomas Sports Center where 73 residents took immediate shelter. The Red Cross also secured food and drinks for firefighters and first responders, serving about 400 meals.

The smoldering remains of the blaze continued throughout the day Tuesday and, according to first responders, that will be the case for at least the next couple of days; however, the major threat seems to be over.

“The bulk of the fire is out,” Hartsville Fire Marshal Bryan Crowley said Tuesday. “We’re hitting what we call ‘hot spots,’ going in there and just hitting small flames, which (hazardous materials crews) are bringing out. The fire danger is pretty much gone.”

Crowley was with one of the first units that arrived on the scene Monday night and fought the fire well into Tuesday morning. He was relieved by other firefighters arriving in shifts as units brought the burn under control, but after about two hours of sleep, he was back at the scene.

That has been the story for many first responders in Hartsville during the first 24 hours of the Rainbow blaze. From firefighters like Crowley to police officers, paramedics and other members of county and state agencies assisting on site, it was a long start to the week.   

As of Tuesday night, emergency crews had been scaled back from the nearly 150 personnel with 11 fire companies, members of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, Hartsville Police Department and State Law Enforcement Division agents who responded when the fire was at its peak.

Crowley said anywhere between 50 and 60 firefighters were working with haz-mat units brought in by the company Tuesday to assist in extinguishing remaining hot spots.

Sheriff’s Capt. Andy Locklair said the process of extinguishing those hot spots involved the use of heavy equipment to remove debris from inside the collapsed main storage building for firefighting units to soak with water. The process could take several days to complete.

“Because of the size of the building, it’s going to take some time to get through all of this burned debris,” Locklair said.

Other concerns that remain for firefighters range from making sure what hot spots exist are put out without reigniting any portion of the building, to making sure pieces of debris stayed out of nearby Prestwood Lake along with runoff water used to fight the blaze.

Prestwood Lake is not a source of drinking water for the city of Hartsville or any of the surrounding areas. The lake is for recreational used only.

Crowley said another major concern is smoke from the fire, thick plumes that, according to S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control officials on scene, do not pose a threat to the air quality of the surrounding area.

The smoke does create problems for motorists and Crowley said travelers should try to avoid the area.

“The biggest thing is if you can avoid the area if at all possible,” he said, “especially at night time when the cooler temperatures hit. The (smoke) is going to pretty much spread throughout the town and it’s going to be like dense fog. If at all possible, just try to avoid it.”