J-D plant destroyed by fire will be rebuilt by Line Material Company

Fire-Razed Plant Will Be Rebuilt

The Line Material Co. plant at Kenova, which was destroyed by fire yesterday with an estimated loss of $750,000 to $1,000,000 to buildings, equipment and inventory, will be rebuilt as soon as possible, a company official said last night.

The electrical insulator manufactuing operation employs more than 400 persons. The blaze left only a small office building and warehouse standing. Water cracked and ruined thousands of insulators packed for shipment or stored at the plant. The fire made them red hot.

John Van Vleet of Milwaukee, vice-president in charge of manufactuing, said crews were already at work clearing away the rubble. He made damage estimates.

The fire apparently started about 5:00 a.m., but Kenova firemen did not receive the alarm until 5:45 a.m. They and firemen from Huntington and the Ashland Oil & Refining Co. plant nearby battled the blaze for eight hours.

A heavy drain on Kenova's water supply just at breakfast seriously handicapped efforts to halt the blaze.

Kenova Fire Chief Charles Bocook reported that when the hose was hooked up, the domestic water demand sapped the pressure. He said it took nearly 45 minutes for the Catlettsburg Water Co., which supplies the town, to increase the pressure sufficiently for proper fire fighting.

"The sprinkler system went off but only a trickle of water went on the flames," said Mr. Van Vleet.

While the exact cause of the blaze was not determined, it is believed it started in an insulator baking kiln. Nobody was hurt.