Cedar Rapids firefighters respond to second fire in four days at former Diamond V Mills plant

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Fire Department responded Monday morning to a fire at the Diamond V Mills plant in northwest Cedar Rapids, the second fire at that location in less than a week.

Monday’s fire was small and was quickly extinguished without any injuries reported, according to the fire department. A larger fire at the plant, 436 G Ave. NW, on Friday took about an hour and half to extinguish and resulted in the serious injury of a male firefighter who fell about 30 feet down an elevator shaft.

The investigation into both fires is ongoing, but lightning and fireworks have been ruled out as potential causes. Cedar Rapids Fire Chief Greg Smith told reporters in a news conference Monday that investigators believe both fires were caused by human activity.

Smith has not identified the firefighter who was injured in Friday’s fire, but shared that while the firefighter’s injuries are serious, they are not life-threatening, and he is continuing treatment at a hospital.

“It’s a harrowing experience … In my career, that’s the first mayday that has been called for somebody in a live fire structure. We train for it routinely,” Smith said. “When you hear it on the radio, it makes your heart sink.”

Diamond V operates a facility in southwest Cedar Rapids. The company’s former location in northwest Cedar Rapids is owned by Cedar Rapids Development Group, according to city assessor records. That group is comprised of mostly local investors, and is the city’s preferred developer of a potential casino.

The building on G Avenue was placarded by the city on June 26, which happens when a building has unresolved code violations and often means it is not safe to enter. The building doesn’t have a functional sprinkler system, Smith said.

The only people allowed to enter the building are those authorized to conduct maintenance or official business. People were seen evacuating the building when firefighters arrived Friday. They were not authorized to be there, Smith said Monday.

All the exterior doors to the building were open, so entry and exit was possible for the unauthorized individuals. Smith said he does not know who was in the building or why they were there. The fire department has had previous conversations with the building’s owners about securing the structure because there have been unauthorized individuals inside the building before.

The Cedar Rapids Building Services Department is currently working with the Cedar Rapids Development Group to determine the status of the building, Smith said.

“I believe the ownership group is in the process of fully securing the building, but again to what level that is going to work at this point, we’ll see. Hopefully it will secure it fully, but we do anticipate there may very likely be people inside that structure again,” Smith said.

Jonathan Swain, speaking to The Gazette on behalf of the development group Monday, said the building will have to be demolished, and in the meantime it will be secured.

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The damage to the building caused by the fires was minimal, as they were both extinguished quickly, Smith said.

“Essentially, the structure is in the same condition that it’s been in over the last several years,” Smith said.

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