Three-Alarm Fire at Buzzi Unicem Cement Plant Contained After Nearly Three-Hour Battle

Jefferson Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A large-scale firefighting operation was required Friday night after a commercial structure fire broke out at the Buzzi Unicem cement plant in Jefferson County.

According to the Jefferson R-7 Fire Protection District, firefighters were dispatched by Jefferson County 911 at approximately 7:49 p.m. on June 12 to reports of a commercial structure fire at the industrial facility.

When crews arrived, they encountered heavy smoke coming from the end of a belt system within the plant. Firefighters quickly began operations, deploying hundreds of feet of hose line and accessing the fire from elevated catwalks in an effort to contain the blaze.

The incident presented significant challenges due to its location within an industrial high-rise section of the facility, more than 200 feet above ground level. As crews worked to reach and extinguish the fire, a second alarm and later a third alarm were requested to provide additional personnel and maintain firefighter rotations during the labor-intensive operation.

Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly three hours before bringing it under control at approximately 10:35 p.m.

Despite the difficult conditions, no injuries were reported among plant employees or emergency responders.

The cause of the fire has not been released.