Asphalt plant destroyed by fire Saturday morning
Mount Pleasant Fire Fighters were dispatched to a structure fire at Central Concrete Products at 900 South Bradley Street Saturday at 7:46 a.m.
Lt. Mike Dunham of the Mount Pleasant Fire Department said one firefighter with the MPFD was injured when struck in the cheek by the coupling of a hose and required several stitches.
Police closed off a section of High Street near Bradley while the fire was put out.
Firefighters worked under heavy smoke and fire conditions to put the blaze out.
Dunham said a defensive exterior attack was used due to the instability of the structure. According to a press release from the Mount Pleasant Department of Public Safety, 41 firefighters brought the fire under control by 9 a.m. They remained at the plant 11:42 a.m., putting out remaining hot spots.
Kyle White, president of Central Concrete Products Inc., said he received a call around 8 a.m. alerting him of the fire. No one was inside the building when the blaze broke out. White said most of the building was destroyed, including offices and the mixing facilities.
"The only thing still standing are the silos," he said.
Central Concrete is a family business founded in 1955 by White's grandfather, Ralph Fisher. It is owned by Fisher Companies, which owns eight businesses around Michigan.
White said his business will continue despite the loss.
"We have another plant in Alma," he said. White added that due to the decrease of business during winter, the company will not lose as much business as it could have.
The MPFD were assisted at the scene by the Shepherd Tri-Township Fire Department, The Shepherd Tri-Township Auxilary, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Fire Department, Mobile Medical Rescue, the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, the Michigan Department of Transportation, and the Isabella County Sheriff's Department.
