STATESVILLE, N.C. — The ATF is now investigating a blaze Monday at the old FCX, Inc. warehouse in Statesville -- one fire officials now say is likely arson.
[IMAGES: Six departments battling building fire in Iredell County]
The warehouse, which is located at 1620 W. Front Street, has been abandoned for decades, according to authorites. There was no power going to the building and it was primarily being used for storage of particle board, mattresses, vinyl siding and cabinets.
Front Street near the fire site was closed to traffic while fire fighting operations were ongoing.
(WATCH Chopper 9 Skyzoom over the Statesville FCX, Inc. warehouse fire)
The call came in at 11:21 a.m. Four departments initially had crews on scene: Statesville, Monticello, Troutman and West Iredell. Two more departments added crews after the initial response, with nearly 50 firefighters in all eventually working the blaze.
The Statesville Fire Department said firefighters were able to get the flames under control by about 1:30 p.m., but stayed on scene for hours after that putting out hotspots.
The building is listed on the Superfund National Priority List. According to that registry, there are two warehouses on site -- one of which was a former textiles warehouse.
The site was in operation between 1940 and 1986, and was put on the Superfund National Priority List due to having two on-site trenches where waste was buried -- including pesticides and fertilizers.
In fact, there are five tons of pesticides buried under slabs of concrete at the site.
Statesville Fire Battalion Chief Josh Smith said despite the fire, he wasn't concerned about any of the hazardous materials being affected.
"We dont have any concerns about what's in the ground," he said. "All the fire was contained above the concrete."
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:
- Man walking dogs struck, killed by car during hit-and-run in Kannapolis
- Former Catawba Co. sheriff candidate accused of stalking ex pleads guilty
- Missing teen who fell off boat on Mountain Island Lake found dead
- Woman shot to death inside southwest Charlotte hotel; Sunday's 3rd homicide
- FORECAST: Carolina Wedge sees temps tumble before heat returns
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
