By Jane Prendergast
Enquirer staff writer

Thursday's fire was the latest problem for Queen City Barrel Co., whose woes date back at least two decades.

In 1983, residents of Lower Price Hill objected to the company's application to store hazardous waste on the property. In 1987, neighbors complained about piles of drums that were corroding and possibly leaking.

"Firefighters have been inspecting that place for years," said Joe Diebold, president of the firefighters' union.

In February, the company agreed to pay an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency fine of $26,625 to settle claims that it violated state pollution laws. That followed the discovery in October 2003 by the Hamilton County Division of Environmental Services that the company was operating a steel drum coating line without a permit. The company agreed to shut down the line.

Ohio EPA said the shutdown would eliminate 1.6 tons of volatile organic compounds from the air per year.

In March, company president Edward Paul was among those who objected to the possibility that the city would go back to its odor crackdown program called Title X. Residents complained that odors in Lower Price Hill and elsewhere have gotten worse since the odor-control program was canceled.

In 1995, odors from Queen City Barrel forced Lower Price Hill Community School to close early for the day. About 60 students were sent home after they complained.

E-mail jprendergast@enquirer.com