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A fire that began in Ogden around 12:30 p.m. at John and Company on 1263 W. 3050 South is out. Firefighters say the blaze was started by workers trying to stay warm.
Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Chad Tucker said, "The cause is that the workers in the back yard had a burn barrel. They were burning debris to keep warm and, on a windy day like this, some sparks will get out and spread, and that's what happened here.
The melting and burning plastic sent thick, black smoke over a huge area.
Office Manager Katie Heszler saw the fire and got her co-workers out of the office. She said, "It was high, it was really tall, so no one in the road or anything was getting smoke in them or around them. It was just huge, billowing clouds of black smoke."
Heszler said fire crews quickly got on the scene and put out the flames. It took less than an hour for firefighters to extinguish the flames.
No injuries are reported.
More than 130 of the units were either destroyed or damaged by the fire. The flames also damaged equipment at an adjoining business.
John and Company has been in business since 1974, providing portable restroom and wastewater disposal services for the Wasatch Front and parts of Wyoming.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
