[C]OLCHESTER — A major industrial fire at J&B International truck center caused significant damage inside the building Wednesday morning and shut down traffic on I-89.
All of the company’s employees were safely evacuated from the building on Hercules Drive, Colchester Police Chief Douglas Allen said. Up to six trucks were involved in the fire, including a propane delivery truck, he said.
By 10:30, firefighters had contained the fire but were still fighting it inside the building, Allen said. The precise cause has not yet been determined.
A large cloud of smoke poured out of the building and was blown south by the wind, leading state police to shut down I-89 between Colchester and Winooski. The highway was reopened around 11:30 a.m.
Adam Silverman, public information officer for Vermont State Police, said that in addition to the smokey conditions, reports of explosions on the site and the presence of hazardous materials also were factors in the closing of the highway, which is near the building.
“It’s really just a fence and a tree line away from northbound lanes,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of space for motorists to get past safely until they made sure the fire was contained and the explosions were done.”
Silverman said state police, the Agency of Transportation and on-scene firefighters were consulted in the decision to close the highway.
Authorities said that J&B employees called Colchester Police to report the smell of natural gas at 9:27 a.m. and again moments later to report the fire itself. Firefighters arrived on the scene at 9:33.
Allen said the company’s evacuation procedures contributed to everyone getting out safely.
“As soon as they knew they had a leak, they started their procedures, and then when the fire happened, they were that far ahead of the game getting everyone out safe,” he said.
Because the wind was carrying the smoke south, none of the surrounding businesses were evacuated. Allen said that if the wind had been blowing north, police would have had to evacuate nearby businesses, including the Costco on Lower Mountain View Drive.
Firefighters from Colchester, Malletts Bay, St. Michael’s College, Winooski, Burlington, Milton, Essex and Essex Junction responded to the fire. The Vermont Air National Guard was also called because of the size of the blaze, and the Vermont HAZMAT response team also was called.
A group of J&B employees on site said they were still processing what had occurred and did not want to speak to the media.
Allen said that fire command advised that the fire was under control at 11:25 a.m. and then started the overhaul process, which consists of making sure all of the hotspots have been extinguished and investigating the cause of the blaze.
The company was founded in 1975 by Edward Cleary as Vermont Corp., according to the company’s website. Edward Cleary’s sons currently run the business, with Bill Clearly serving as the company’s general manager.
The company also has a truck parts store in Rutland, according to its website. The number listed on the website for that store was not in service.
