This weekend’s fire drives home the importance of a strong capable fire department and just how much we owe the men and women who do this work.

For more than 48 hours, firefighters from our local departments — Clark County Fire and Winchester Fire-EMS — along with dozens of other area departments have been battling a massive fire at Stuff Recycling.

The fire was reported at about 4 p.m. Saturday and had a significant impact on the county throughout the weekend, shutting down a portion of U.S. 60 for about 24 hours, utilizing many gallons of water, reducing air quality in the area and even threatening to shut down a portion of Interstate 64.

Without the quick, efficient response from our local emergency responders, the situation at Stuff Recycling could have been worse. The enormous fire could have easily spread to nearby homes and destroyed part of the recycling business.

However, no injuries or fatalities were reported. The large flames were knocked out by Sunday night. No nearby structures were damaged, including those on the business’s property.

Some equipment was damaged and certainly, the fire will have a significant impact on the business, but with a fire of this magnitude, things could have been much worse.

We want to thank our local fire departments and each individual responder for the sacrificial work they do for us each day. It is a difficult and often thankless job.

Additionally, our gratitude is due to the many agencies from across Central Kentucky that offered mutual aid in our time of need. Much of that is due to our local department’s well-intentioned involvement in the Bluegrass Emergency Response Team, a valuable asset to our region.

Much appreciation is also due to volunteer agencies, particularly the American Red Cross, that remained on scene to help provide water and other resources to firefighters. We must also mention the many local people who donated cases of water, food and other items for firefighters while they worked.

This weekend’s unfortunate events prove teamwork and cooperation among our community agencies and others is valuable and necessary. Most importantly, it proves cooperation is possible and when done properly, can have huge benefits for our community.

 

Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. The board is comprised of publisher Michael Caldwell and managing editor Whitney Leggett. To inquire about a meeting with the board, contact Caldwell at 759-0095.