Friday morning fire damages Cloverdale asphalt plant

The Martin-Marietta Asphalt plant in Cloverdale had a fire Friday morning.

An accidental fire at the Martin Marietta Asphalt Plant Friday caused $100,000 - $150,000 damage. It is unknown if Friday morning's earthquake was a contributing factor.

Around 9:30 a.m. Friday, Greencastle and Cloverdale Township Fire Departments responded to a fire at the Cloverdale location.

Darryl Huyett, Area Foreman for Wabash Valley Asphalt said, "A pipe carrying heat-transfer oil had burst."

There were two workers on-site at the time of the fire who were both evacuated. There were no injuries reported. The fire did not spread due in part to the use of foam by area fire departments.

"There is no way of knowing if the fire had to do with the earthquake," Huyett remarked.

Steve Walters, Cloverdale Township Fire Department's Public Relations spokesman, held a press conference around 11:30 a.m. on the entrance road to the quarry.

"The fire is out at this time but we're continuing to cool down the tank," Walters said. "We are still gathering information at this time."

Walters said there were fire departments from Putnam, Hendricks and Owen Counties but was unsure of the actual number of station represented.

Kerry Shepard, Cloverdale Township Fire Department Chief said, "The fire was accidental and caused $100,000 - $150,000 damage."