Sinclair property continues to smolder

The Sinclair property continued to smolder today and it will likely continue for days, Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said today.

Buelow said firefighters are at the scene to monitor the situation in case the smoldering catches fire but the smoldering will continue. There was a large amount of debris and corn piled up but there is no immediate danger if it does flare up again.

All the utilities have been turned off to the buildings. The fire destroyed the large brick building at the plant, built more than 100 years old and used for meatpacking operations until 1990, on Tuesday.

No cause has been determined at this time, but officials said the fire is suspicious because utilities had been turned off to the buildings.

The city bought the site and its 30 acres in 2006, with plans to demolish it. It housed some businesses until the June 2008 flood. The city is seeking federal financial assistance to raze the buildings and open the area for development.