Firefighters from multiple departments respond to Marquis Energy – Shaw Local regarding sewer fire

Firefighters responded to a pipe fire at the Marquis Energy Complex in Hennepin just after 4 a.m. Tuesday.

The RTO unit typically operates in temperatures above 1,800 degrees and due to the nature of industrial firefighting, the need for additional personnel is necessary as a precautionary measure, the Hennepin Fire Department said in a news release Tuesday. The fire brigade said the aim of the fire was to cool the device and extinguish all ignited materials inside. Once the RTO unit temperatures reached a safe level and a fire hazard was no longer identified, the command was terminated and operations were turned back over to plant personnel to assess the damage.

The cause of the fire remains unclear as Marquis Energy personnel investigate. This operation required the use of more than 500,000 gallons of water and the support of multiple fire departments. The facility remained operational and there were no injuries reported, the Hennepin Fire Department said.

Fire Department personnel and Marquis Energy personnel worked closely together to mitigate this incident in a safe, efficient and effective manner, the fire department said in its news release. The Granville-Hennepin Fire District thanked Putnam County Dispatch, Valcom, Ottawa Central Dispatch, BuEComm, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County EMS, Granville Fire, Standard Fire, Princeton Fire, Bureau Fire, Spring Valley Fire, Peru Fire and Henry Fire, Tonica Fire, Toluca-Rutland Fire, Oglesby EMS and Peru EMS for their assistance in fighting the fire.