UPDATE: No injuries, no public health threat from Friday night Beatrice blaze

BEATRICE, Neb. - Officials provided more information on a southeast Nebraska fire that kept crews on scene for more than five hours. 

Around 10:00 p.m. Friday, crews were dispatched to the Dempster Building on the south end of Beatrice, as a massive blaze engulfed the abandoned building. Beatrice Fire Chief Brian Daake called it one of the top three fire events he’s seen, in his 30 years on the force.

“There was a semi-trailer in the middle of the complex on fire and it took about 450 feet of hose to get into that area,” Daake said. “We also had to break a chain link fence, and then go through a small force to get through to that location.”

OVERNIGHT FIRE COVERAGE

The facility dates back to 1878 when Charles Dempster started the Dempster Mill Manufacturing company. It primarily built windmills until eventually shifting to water pumps, cultivators, fertilizer spreaders, gasoline products, and recycling trailers… Despite possible contaminants, Daake says, thanks to weather conditions, and work by the Environmental Protection Agency, there’s no public health threat.

“It was all blowing up, we had perfect weather for that, it wasn’t blowing across town,” Daake said. “It is an EPA cleanup site, they’ve been in and cleaned out the hazardous material they could so the chemicals weren’t present like they were 5-10 years ago.”

Daake says a number of potential causes of the fire are on the table and a Nebraska State Fire Marshall is investigating. No injuries occurred to those battling the blaze… Beatrice received help from Beatrice Rural Fire, who worked to prevent ember fires from the wind and an aerial assistance from Fairbury.

“Since we have eight people on duty, it takes more than that for a fire of this size,” Daake said. “As people were coming in, we had the right numbers… With the help from our neighbors, it was a tremendous benefit.”

LIVE VIDEO FROM LATE STAGES OF FIRE RESPONSE

A section of highway 77 near the blaze remained closed from Perkins and Caldwell streets.

This Is a developing story. Stay with News Channel Nebraska for further details.