With the flames now out, investigators have left the scene of a massive industrial fire in Becker, Minn., turning the Northern Metal Recycling property back to its owners, authorities said Monday.
Meanwhile, the company has been cited for another fire code violation at its north Minneapolis location, where it has been storing junked vehicles during its move to the Becker site in Sherburne County, 45 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
"All outside agencies have left the Northern Metal property and the scene has been turned back over to the company," Becker Police Chief Brent Baloun said in a statement Monday. "The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency [MPCA] will continue monitoring stormwater contained on-site and will work with the company and local officials to assess potential environmental impacts and planning for cleanup."
More than 100 fire crews responded to the Becker blaze, which was reported by a passerby at 2:25 a.m. on Feb. 18 and ignited a stack of vehicles 40 feet high. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The fire burned for more than 48 hours before it was contained, sending flames leaping 50 feet in the air and creating a plume of noxious black smoke that spread for more than 20 miles across communities northwest of the metro area.
The Becker facility was in its final days of testing before beginning full operations when the fire broke out. Its giant shredder is capable of grinding up a vehicle in about 15 seconds and recovering metals for recycling. Tracy Bertram, Becker's mayor, said the facility is "state of the art. It's probably one of the best in the United States."
Although investigators have cleared the scene, the company can't reopen or operate its shredder until it complies with a list of required actions ordered by the MPCA, including an environmental damage assessment, a cleanup plan and an updated plan for storage of scrap metal.
It also can't bring in scrap or turn on the shredder until the likely source and cause of the fire is determined.
