CEDAR RAPIDS - Nearly five months after a fire at the same location, Cedar Rapids firefighters could be watching the former Sinclair site for days, again. Fire investigators say no one was hurt Tuesday morning's fire as the focus turns to more demolition work on the site. The site, at 1600 Third Street Southeast Cedar Rapids, is in a neighborhood with plenty of abandoned buildings. And the fact that fire crews are back at the former Sinclair site leads to investigators wondering what is happening at the site.

The initial call came in after 6:30 a.m. for a fire at the former Sinclair site and Cedar Rapids firefighters shifted back into defensive mode … just like with the last major fire there, back on July 28th. Multiple interconnected buildings on the east side of the property were involved with Monday’s fire, officials said.

Fire officials decided not to fight this latest fire at the vacant plant, due to safety concerns. Fire Department Spokesman Greg Buelow said crews searched around the building but did not find any signs that anyone was there. "The building was structurally unsound so there was no reason to jeopardize firefighters' lives to go into a vacant building," Buelow said. Frigid temperatures and the threat of hypothermia also factored into the decision not to fight the blaze, according to Buelow.

The temperature at 8 a.m. was around 3 below zero and wind chills were closer to 20 below.

“We’re not going to flow any water,” Buelow said. “We’re just going to let it burn. It’s been deemed structurally unsound. At this point, for firefighter safety, we’re just going to stand by and monitor it.”

At 10 a.m., officials were evaluating whether a demolition crew was available to tear into the impacted buildings, Buelow said. Doing so may cause flames to flare up, he said, but the ventilation would allow the fire to be extinguished quicker in the long run. By the early afternoon a plan was in place between the fire departments, the city and one local demolition company.

Buelow said a passer-by reported flames shooting from the massive brick structure at 6:36 a.m. The area impacted by fire measures about 125,000 square feet, Buelow said.

One of the buildings on fire was used as the main production building when the facility was a meatpacking plant, Buelow said. The main floor of the building has up to 25 semi trailers full of corn, and he floors of the building are made of timber.

The city was allowing companies to the store the corn at the site, Buelow said.

“If that corn gets going and smoldering, that’s going to burn for a long time,” Buelow said.

The old meatpacking plant has been vacant for years and was without power. Fire broke out at the vacant plant on July 28, and smoldered for months. The blaze was deemed suspicious by investigators, but an official cause was never determined.

During a KCRG-TV9 follow-up report in early November, materials were found still smoldering, which caused firefighters to return for more work. A cause for this latest blaze is unknown at this point.

“Is it possible somebody was in the structure? Yes,” Buelow said. “Could it have been something else? Yes.”

Buelow said it is “doubtful” that the fire that began in July flared up again Tuesday, because the locations differ. Tuesday’s blaze is farther to the east.

“There’s nothing to believe that it could have spread from that other fire,” Buelow said.

Buelow said the smoke billowing out of the buildings is not known to be dangerous. He said a team hired by the city determined about a month ago that no asbestos is present in any of the buildings on the property.

The Sinclair site dates back to 1872 and some of the buildings are almost 100 years old. The 2008 flood and the long-burning fire this summer left the building unsalvageable. The city is hoping to get FEMA funding for demolition, which could cost up to $100 million.

Linn County Public Health advises anyone living in the area near that fire should try to avoid exposure to smoke created by the fire. Specifically, those living or working immediately east of the property and residential areas from the Sinclair property to Cargill on Otis Road should consider staying indoors and limiting exercise. Staying inside with the doors and windows closed can usually reduce exposure to ambient air pollution by about a third or more.

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