Troy Reed stood outside in the cold for six hours Saturday night, watching firefighters from seven departments battle a blaze at his company's warehouse and millwork production facility.
while that was disheartening, he said Monday it was comforting to know there were no employees in the 60,000-square-foot building at 724 W. Jackson St. because it was closed when the fire was reported just before 5 p.m. and he was happy to learn later that no firefighters were injured.
Reed is the owner and president of LS Building Products, a wholesale distributor that has served downstate Illinois contractors, builders and professional remodelers for nearly 60 years. This is his 21st year with the company. He's owned it since 2001.
he said he was amazed at the work done by firefighters. Morton Fire Chief Joe Kelley said the fire caused $850,000 in damage to the building, products and machinery, but another $1.5 million in damage was prevented.
"The firefighters did a wonderful job containing the fire," Reed said. "I expected the areas that were saved to have a lot of soot and a bad smell, but it's not bad."
Reed said the Morton facility is oriented toward new construction. an upturn in business over the past six months meant the building was packed with flammable materials.
Reed said about a dozen of the 20 office and production employees who work there are being paid and he wants to get them back on the job as soon as possible.
those who worked Monday were able to do so because power and heat were restored to the building. There was no water, however.
Reed said a "war room" has been set up at the company's East Peoria corporate headquarters to deal with the business ramifications of the fire.
LS moved into a portion of the Morton building in 1996, and purchased it from Morton Welding in 2001. It was using the entire building by 2003.
The company also has warehouses in East Peoria, Champaign and Pontoon Beach, showrooms in Bloomington and East Peoria, and a lumberyard in Bartonville.
Kelley said Monday an investigation into the cause of the fire will probably take a few weeks. The cause doesn't appear to be suspicious, the fire chief said.
Steve Stein can be reached at 686-3114 or . Read his Stein Time blog at pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.
Troy Reed stood outside in the cold for six hours Saturday night, watching firefighters from seven departments battle a blaze at his company's warehouse and millwork production facility.
while that was disheartening, he said Monday it was comforting to know there were no employees in the 60,000-square-foot building at 724 W. Jackson St. because it was closed when the fire was reported just before 5 p.m. and he was happy to learn later that no firefighters were injured.
Reed is the owner and president of LS Building Products, a wholesale distributor that has served downstate Illinois contractors, builders and professional remodelers for nearly 60 years. This is his 21st year with the company. He's owned it since 2001.
he said he was amazed at the work done by firefighters. Morton Fire Chief Joe Kelley said the fire caused $850,000 in damage to the building, products and machinery, but another $1.5 million in damage was prevented.
"The firefighters did a wonderful job containing the fire," Reed said. "I expected the areas that were saved to have a lot of soot and a bad smell, but it's not bad."
Reed said the Morton facility is oriented toward new construction. an upturn in business over the past six months meant the building was packed with flammable materials.
Reed said about a dozen of the 20 office and production employees who work there are being paid and he wants to get them back on the job as soon as possible.
those who worked Monday were able to do so because power and heat were restored to the building. There was no water, however.
Reed said a "war room" has been set up at the company's East Peoria corporate headquarters to deal with the business ramifications of the fire.
LS moved into a portion of the Morton building in 1996, and purchased it from Morton Welding in 2001. It was using the entire building by 2003.
The company also has warehouses in East Peoria, Champaign and Pontoon Beach, showrooms in Bloomington and East Peoria, and a lumberyard in Bartonville.
Kelley said Monday an investigation into the cause of the fire will probably take a few weeks. The cause doesn't appear to be suspicious, the fire chief said.
Steve Stein can be reached at 686-3114 or . Read his Stein Time blog at pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.
