Fire destroys Niederwald business

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

An industrial fire on Friday afternoon had firefighters from across Caldwell County scrambling.

Just before 2:30 p.m., Chisholm Trail Fire-Rescue was paged to the scene of a “workshop fire” in the 15000 block of Camino Real (Highway 21) in Niederwald. By the time firefighters arrived on scene, the 20,000 square foot

building was engulfed in flames.

Witnesses on the scene said the fire spread quickly throughout Insul-Pipe’s warehouse and office space, but the businesses 10 employees and company cat were all able to exit the building safely.

Danger was increased by the presences of a number of chemicals used by the company, which insulates pipes for commercial construction projects. In addition, according the building’s owner, two fork-lifts and a 500-gallon diesel tank were located in the building where the fire started.

The mixture of heat and chemicals shot a pillar of billowing black smoke into the air that was visible for miles.

Volunteer firefighters from Niederwald, Uhland, Lytton Springs, Maxwell and Dale fought the blaze, with additional assistance from Hays County and Manchaca. Though the fire was contained to the building and did not threaten the surrounding structures, Insul-Pipe’s building and equipment was a total loss.

After extinguishing the fire, firefighters stayed on the scene for several hours to avoid any rekindling, and warned that the building’s gutted remains could continue smoldering for days.

The cause of the fire was unknown.