NAZARETH, PA. (Aug. 2, 12;40 p.m. ET) — An early morning fire in Nazareth, has destroyed a facility operated by recycling firm Coll Materials LLC of Zanesville, Ohio.
“There were 10 employees on the shift,” spokeswoman Renee Coll said in an Aug. 2 phone interview. “They tried to extinguish the fire but they couldn't get it out. Everybody is out, but the building is a total loss.”
There were no injuries. A cause had not been determined and firefighters still were on the scene at 11 a.m.
Coll Materials, which is in the process of acquiring Nicos Polymers Group, was renting the Nazareth facility.
“Production is a first priority at this point,” Coll said. Officials are moving production to Allentown, Pa. Material and equipment should be fully transferred to that site within the next three weeks. Coll also has a new facility in Waco, Texas, and recently expanded its site in Zanesville.
The $5.5 million Waco site will be in full production by the end of the year, CEO Brian Coll said in a news release. “We already have the equipment bought and it is ready to be shipped.”
He said Waco will be similar in size to the Zanesville facility and will have two wash lines, three pellet extruders, four granulator lines, rail access and seven silos for material storage.
The Waco site produces different grades of high density polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS and other resins, and also makes post-consumer HDPE pellets.