By Jennifer Edwards and Jane Prendergast
Enquirer staff writers

PHOTO GALLERIES

Galleries • Today at the scene • The fire rages

DETOURS

• The closed westbound lanes on Eighth Street were opened at 6:45 a.m. today. • Side streets off Gest Street near Queen City Barrel are closed. Evans Street between Eighth and Hopkins is still closed. • For more information about Metro bus detours, call 513-632-7538.

LOWER PRICE HILL - Firefighters continued this morning to battle one of the city's most dramatic fires in years, a blaze which broke out at 6:15 p.m., Thursday at a warehouse near downtown.

Early today, smoke still rose from the 104-year-old building owned by Queen City Barrel Co. at 809 Evans St. as firefighters poured water on the building from aerial ladders.

"The fire could smolder for days," said Cincinnati District Two Fire Chief Anson Turley. "We just want to make sure no one gets hurt."

So far, there have been no injuries. The cause of the fire has not been determined, Turley said.

The possibility that the 400,000-square-foot building could collapse prevented firefighters from going inside the building.

"You can't risk a man's life for what essentially is a pile of garbage," Turley said.

More than 20 fire companies were called to the fire. By 5 a.m. today, about 10 fire companies remained.

Turley said the lack of an adequate water supply hampered early efforts to fight the fire.

Health officials said this morning that the smoke had diminished enough so that it was safe for residents in Lower Price Hill to open their windows and turn on their air conditioners. They had been concerned that the smoke could be harmful because of chemical residue in the barrels in the warehouse.

The began Thursday at 6:15 p.m. at a warehouse near downtown and raged into the morning.

The blaze sent flames leaping almost 100 feet and blanketed the heavily industrial area west of Interstate 75 in heavy smoke.

Fear of the 104-year-old building's collapse pushed firefighters out and away from the 400,000-square-foot building owned by Queen City Barrel Co. at 809 Evans St. Explosions could be heard every few minutes from inside the building, which was beginning to collapse at 9:20 p.m.

Cincinnati Fire Chief Robert Wright, who was at the scene into this morning, said he expected firefighters to remain at the building through the weekend.

"We'll be here past tomorrow, that's for sure, putting out hot spots. The fire is past a five-alarm," Wright said. "... It's the largest, most spectacular fire we've had in years."

Firefighters from five other departments were called in to help, Wright said.

Authorities do not know the cause of the fire.

The fire started in the west end of the nearly block-long building.

No workers were believed to be inside. No one was reported injured.

Firefighters welcomed a thunderstorm just after 11 p.m. and hoped it would aid their efforts.

SHELTER-IN-PLACE

Thursday's fire at the Queen City Barrel Co. in Lower Price Hill prompted officials to tell residents in a wide area to protect themselves from possible health effects from the heavy smoke. Officials called for "shelter-in-place'' precautions in the West End, Over-the-Rhine, Downtown, University Heights, Clifton and Clifton Heights as smoke drifted to the northeast. It means people at home or work should stay inside, close and lock all windows and exterior doors and turn off all air conditioning and ventilation units. The advisory was lifted early this morning. Vice Mayor Alicia Reece said she hoped to set up a hot line early today for people to call about health concerns. She also will call for a city hearing so residents can ask questions, she said. "We want to be as helpful as possible,'' she said. For more information: • American Red Cross Web site . • Cincinnati Health Department, 357-7200. • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati office, 569-7931.

RELATED STORIES

• Queen City Barrel has history of problems • Five-alarm fires

Queen City Barrel cleans and resells industrial barrels and in the past has been the target of odor complaints and allegations of leaking solvents.

Wright called in the city's Chemical Air Monitoring Team. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also sent a team and set up a mobile command post.

Steven Renninger, on-scene coordinator for the EPA's Superfund Division, said there was no early indication of a chemical hazard. He said, however, that the agency was not sure what chemicals might have been released.

Wright said he did not think the business housed hazardous materials, but he was concerned about the potential for the building's collapse and the effect of heavy smoke on area residents.

"We are going to try to confine it and cut it off so it doesn't spread further," Wright said.

Officials shut down streets around the warehouse and the Eighth Street viaduct.

The area near the fire is mostly industrial.

By 9 p.m., fire officials were telling residents in parts of downtown, the West End, Over-the-Rhine and University Heights to stay inside their homes, close their windows and doors, shut off air conditioners and ventilation and to go to an upper floor.

District Fire Chief Dwayne Herth said heavy smoke and the possibility of chemicals burning were the reasons residents were requested to stay inside.

Firefighters from Green Township, Delhi Township, Anderson Township, Miami Township and Springdale joined Cincinnati firefighters at the scene.

The Metro transit system detoured four bus routes that travel through the industrial area and into Price Hill and Delhi Township, according to Sallie Hilvers of Metro.

She encouraged riders to call Metro's pre-recorded detour hotline at 632-7538 to determine whether detours remain in effect.

Metro's regular phone line is 621-4455.

Metro supplied two air-conditioned buses for firefighters to use as relief stations.

Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken promised a complete, independent investigation: "I go back 20, 25 years with this place. My concern now is for the safety of the firefighters and the people who live around there."

Authorities think that the explosions were solvents heating and blowing lids off barrels. Solvents are used to clean the barrels and sometimes residue remains inside.

"It hurts to see what you worked at all your life go up in flames," said Don Hayden, 65, of Glencoe, Ky., a former plant manager and maintenance man, who retired in 2002 after working there almost 50 years.

Hayden said the area of the building where the fire started used to be a storage area. Authorities said they thought that paper barrels, drums, wood and paper products were what stoked the fire.

Edward Paul, owner and president of Queen City Barrel, said a company truck driver saw smoke in the basement near the center of the building. The area is used to store steel, plastic and paper drums.

About 60 to 80 employees work in that area of the building.

"We quit at 3:30 p.m. There is no reason for anybody to be in there," Paul said.

The company was founded in 1929 by Paul's grandfather, Harry Paul, as a wooden barrel manufacturer. It is one of the nation's largest reconditioners of steel, fiber and plastic drums and bulk containers.

The company is insured, and the agent was at the fire, Paul said.

Mike Farrell of Upper Price Hill, who has worked as a waste-water operator at Queen City Barrel for 16 years, said he was at home after work when his neighbor called to tell him about the fire.

"I'm hoping they don't close the plant down. I don't want to have to find another job," Farrell said.

Hundreds of people lined Evans Street at the height of the fire.

"I've been getting different views of it," Jerry Strite of Price Hill said. "I was watching it from Price Hill, and I decided to watch it from the other side" on Evans Street.

Representatives of the Red Cross and the Salvation Army provided firefighters with hamburgers, water, Gatorade and bananas throughout the night.

Maggie Downs and Steve Kemme of the Enquirer contributed to this report. E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com or jprendergast@enquirer.com.