Video of the fire at Styten Energy on Aug. 29 at 9:00 a.m.
Video by NATE KING
UPDATED 08/28/2024 at 7:08 p.m.
Story originally published at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 28
By SALINA POST
At approximately 4:04 p.m. on August 28, Salina Fire, Rural Fire District One and Two, the Saline County Sheriff's Office, Salina Police Department, Saline County Emergency Management and the Kansas Highway Patrol all responded to a fire at Stryten Energy in Salina.
According to Salina Fire Marshal Joe Kvacik, nearly a dozen fire apparatuses remained on the scene Wednesday afternoon and into the evening attacking hot spots inside the Stryten Energy building, 413 East Berg Road, Salina.
On the second and third floors of the large, multiple story Stryten Energy complex, Salina and Saline County Rural fire fighters encountered moderate fire conditions.
"Eventually we got the fire knocked down on the inside. Then we had some roofing material and stuff on the on the roof that was burning," Kvacik said. "We had multiple levels of this building that had fire on it. So we had several ladder trucks out here."
According to Michelle Weis, Saline County Emergency Management Director, fire crews have informed her that there are no live flames as of 6:11 p.m.
Kvacik said fire crews continue to overhaul the building checking for hot spots.
"We have a lot of hot spots in there," Kvacik said. "They're pulling a lot of insulation and and just chasing down anything that's still smoldering."
According to Kvacik, this was a third alarm fire.
"Our first alarm is basically the crews that are on duty, the fire trucks that would go to this initial alarm when something's called," Kvacik said. "A second alarm is where we'll call back in one of our shifts and they staff, our backup trucks, or they'll send some guys out here to assist. Then the third alarm is when we call the other shift back. Third alarm is everybody."
Kvacik said the cause of the fire at this time is unknown. No first responders or employees were injured as a result of the fire.
"They [fire fighters] are still chasing hot spots," Kvacik said. "We haven't started the investigation yet. We haven't really sat down and talked to Stryten to see what was going on or what was observed. For us, this is a pretty large scene."
Melissa Floyd, a representative of Stryten Energy, said the company was unable to issue a statement at this time. Salina Post asked if residents should avoid the area because of the possibility of potentially harmful chemicals present in the smoke plumes.
Floyd was unable to comment on the potential negative health effects of the black smoke coming from Stryten Energy.
Stryten is a stored energy solutions firm, according to the company web site. Their products " power everything from forklifts in warehouses and distribution centers to cars, trains and trucks to microgrids and vast telecom networks. In addition to manufacturing high-quality advanced lead, lithium, and vanadium batteries and intelligent chargers."
This is a developing story. Check the Post for more information as it becomes available.