ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 3, 1996 TAG: 9601030049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
The fire that destroyed a tire recycling plant in Rocky Mount and burned for several days last summer was an accident, investigators announced Monday.
Rocky Mount Police Chief Butch Jenkins said faulty wiring on a large tire-shredding machine, inside the Virginia Rubber Recyclers building on State Street, was to blame.
The fire broke out shortly after noon July 26, and state police arson investigators were quickly summoned.
At the time, Jenkins said the fire was being investigated as suspicious.
In the days that followed, specifics about Virginia Rubber's troubled first year in Rocky Mount were detailed:
The company was cited by the state Department of Environmental Quality for storing more tires than its operating permit allows.
State police were investigating the company for improperly storing excess tires at a warehouse in Roanoke.
Some Virginia Rubber payroll checks bounced at a local convenience store.
The company was criticized as a possible safety hazard by a Rocky Mount town councilman.
But those problems and the timing of the fire were just a coincidence, according to investigators.
Jenkins said Monday that the investigating agencies all believe the blaze was an accident. The investigation was a joint effort by state police, the Rocky Mount police and fire departments, the Franklin County Department of Public Safety and two insurance companies that have issued policies for Virginia Rubber, Jenkins said.
Investigators have been leaning toward calling the fire accidental for some time, but were waiting for laboratory test results on a number of items salvaged from the fire.
Virginia Rubber's executives - several of whom live out of state - haven't had much to say publicly about the fire or the company's future.
However, a Franklin County businessman owed money by Virginia Rubber recently received a letter from the company saying it was working on settling its debts and has plans to rebuild the Rocky Mount plant.
LENGTH: Short : 50 linesby CNB