Fire at Basic American Foods in Rexburg

Firefighters battled a blaze at Basic American Foods in Rexburg Monday.

Madison Fire Department confirmed that ashes from sawdust piles blew onto a building at Basic American Foods and ignited the roof late Monday afternoon. A fire official said the piles could have spontaneously combusted.

Embers flying in the high winds, endangered other nearby structures, extending the fire tothree homes in a neighboring trailer park and anearby Tesoro gas station. All the structures involved sustained moderate to minor damage.

The trailer park was evacuated. The residents were given temporary shelter at Madison Junior High and dinner was provided for the families affected. The American Red Cross was also contacted to assist during this evacuation period.

Madison Fire Department dispatched 10 trucks and 56 full-time and paid call personnel to contain the fire. The fire department also pulled additional units from their Sugar City and Archer stations to assist with fire suppression efforts.

One firefighter sustained an eye injury due to blowing debris—no other injuries were reported.

The fire was declared under control at approximately 9:30 pm, but crews remained on the scene to mop up and look for hot spots until 11:00 pm.