Fleming Warehouse Burns
AURORA, Colo. -- Firefighters continue to investigate a four-alarm blaze at Fleming's convenience store warehouse in Aurora, Colo. that destroyed the 130,000-square foot facility and its inventory. Company officials did not have loss estimates, which could total in the millions.
The fire, which broke out Saturday, was fueled by potato chips, wood pallets and plastic packaging. Small explosions from propane tanks and butane lighters further complicated the firefighting efforts. It could take the rest of the week to make the remains of the building safe enough for fire investigators to get inside to determine a cause, according to The Denver Post.
The company normally runs on a 24-hour schedule at the facility. But, workers left early Friday night for an office Christmas party and no one was scheduled to work until later in the day on Saturday so the warehouse was empty when the fire broke out. Fleming intends to move its operations to another location and have a temporary facility. In the meantime, Fleming company spokesman Shane Boyd said, stores in Colorado will be served by Fleming's regional warehouses in neighboring states.
All 200 or so employees will remain on the payroll. "We're just grateful no one was hurt," Boyd said.
The warehouse was previously owned by Core-Mark. Fleming assumed ownership of the unit in April when the Dallas-based distributor acquired South San Francisco-based Core-Mark International Inc.
The fire, which broke out Saturday, was fueled by potato chips, wood pallets and plastic packaging. Small explosions from propane tanks and butane lighters further complicated the firefighting efforts. It could take the rest of the week to make the remains of the building safe enough for fire investigators to get inside to determine a cause, according to The Denver Post.
The company normally runs on a 24-hour schedule at the facility. But, workers left early Friday night for an office Christmas party and no one was scheduled to work until later in the day on Saturday so the warehouse was empty when the fire broke out. Fleming intends to move its operations to another location and have a temporary facility. In the meantime, Fleming company spokesman Shane Boyd said, stores in Colorado will be served by Fleming's regional warehouses in neighboring states.
All 200 or so employees will remain on the payroll. "We're just grateful no one was hurt," Boyd said.
The warehouse was previously owned by Core-Mark. Fleming assumed ownership of the unit in April when the Dallas-based distributor acquired South San Francisco-based Core-Mark International Inc.