{"id":47379,"date":"2016-12-09T21:34:13","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T21:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=47379"},"modified":"2016-12-09T21:34:13","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T21:34:13","slug":"epa-dpnr-continue-h-h-tire-battery-fire-investigation-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=47379","title":{"rendered":"EPA And DPNR To Continue H.H. Tire & Battery Fire Investigation This Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. CROIX — Department of Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dawn Henry announced on Friday that DPNR, along with the Environmental Protection Angency (EPA) will be continuing their investigation into the H.H. Tire and Battery fire that consumed the entire facility in the wee hours of Monday, November 28<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Along with the local and federal agencies, contractors will be conducting assessments and collecting water samples in neighborhoods near the burned facility. Communities beginning from Sion Farm and going towards the west of the island will be assessed, D.P.N.R. said this afternoon. The public will be notified of results following the collection and testing of samples.<\/p>\n

H.H. Tire & Battery\u00a0announced a week ago<\/a><\/span>\u00a0its temporary location of business, a quick turnaround of events that bodes well for St. Croix, as the firm has told The Consortium that it had retained all 30 of its employees.<\/p>\n

The temporary site is located across from Junie\u2019s Restaurant, at the east end of Hess Road where it meets South Shore Road, according to a post on the company\u2019s Facebook page. An opening date will be announced \u201conce we confirm a few shipments we are waiting on,\u201d said H.H. Tire and Battery media relations representative\u00a0Rebecca Boulanger.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur amazing team has been working hard to get it ready as soon as possible for all of our loyal patrons,\u201d wrote the company on its Facebook page. \u201cWe appreciate all of the support we have received this week from those near and far.\u201d<\/p>\n

An all-consuming fire\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The building\u2019s roof had caved in; vehicles belonging to residents that stayed at the facility overnight for repairs were left with only their body frames; smoke from burned tires, batteries and other items letting off toxic plumes engulfed the skies and spread west, causing the closure of at least six schools, according to the Department of Education. The Superior Court also shuttered half-day, and\u00a0classes at the St. Croix Career and Technical Education Center \u2014 with the inclusion of the Adult Secondary Education Program \u2014 were canceled.<\/p>\n

Fire Service Director Clifford Joseph expressed remorse for both the owners of H.H. Tire & Battery, as well as the employees who were out of work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel sorry for not only the owner but the employees, because the employees hit a wall,\u201d he said. \u201cFire destroys and it takes away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Department of Public Works personnel were also on the scene to help Fire Service personnel bulldoze the walls on either side of the building to get in, as the facility\u2019s industrial doors were shut. The building was destroyed from front to back, as the flames ruined every section of the venerable business; H.H. Tire & Battery was a stalwart in the community that employed many, and had been in existence for 52 years, according to a blurb on the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

While the fire was still raging, loud explosions \u2014 possibly from batteries and other combustible products \u2014 rocked the Castle Coakley neighborhood. The fire was so fierce that the heat could be felt all the way to the Bates Trucking entrance. Multiple fire trucks worked around the clock to contain the blaze, and in a stroke of luck, they were aided by rain, which came heavily at dawn, dousing the fire with an incessant pouring.<\/p>\n

Started by Howard Hensley in 1964, H.H. Tire & Battery had become a go-to location for vehicle maintenance. The company was \u201cbuilt on the foundation of providing quality products and outstanding customer service for a reasonable price,\u201d reads the website. The firm had since grown to become the largest shop of its kind on the island.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ST. CROIX — Department of Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dawn Henry announced on Friday that DPNR, along with the Environmental Protection Angency (EPA) will be continuing their investigation into the H.H. Tire and Battery fire that consumed the entire facility in the wee hours of Monday, November 28. Along with the local and federal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[191,147],"tags":[6173],"yoast_head":"\nEPA And DPNR To Continue H.H. Tire & Battery Fire Investigation This Weekend - V.I. 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