Employees Evacuated during Fire at Marshall Plant

MARSHALL — Employees at the Norit Americas plant on Marshall’s west side had to evacuate Friday night after fire erupted in an outdoor production area. That’s according to KETK and the Longview News-Journal. Marshall Fire Department Capt. Randall Jeans said firefighters responded to the blaze shortly after 10 p.m. in the 3200 block of University Avenue, near Loop 390. Jeans said some of the product manufactured at the site ignited while employees were cleaning a gas-fired furnace used during production.

“The maintenance crews had to evacuate the area and that just left the access doors open, and the product continued to spill out,” Jeans said, describing the product as a very fine charcoal. “As it spills out and gets out into the air, it burns very readily,” he said. Jeans said firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within 30 minutes. No injuries were reported. Norit produces powdered activated carbon, a product used in reducing emissions at coal-fired power plants.