By Patrick Burn
Intelligencer Journal

LANCASTER, Pa. — A fire sparked by static electricity at a Dart Container Corp. warehouse in Leola burned for about five hours Thursday before firefighters could get it under control, plant officials said.

The fire, which was limited to a building that housed rolls of extruded plastic used to make trays for supermarkets and other food businesses, started about 4 p.m. and was pronounced under control at 9:15 p.m., Clarence Wenger, Dart facilities manager, said.

Fifteen rolls of petroleum-based plastic - about $1,000 worth of inventory - were damaged, and the facility sustained about $10,000 in water damage. No one was injured.

The potential for a disaster, however, drew firefighters and tanker trucks from throughout the county to the plant, Wenger said.

"Obviously, we have a lot of fire departments here," Wenger said. "The reason is they want to be extra cautious. If this thing were to get out of control, (it could spread) to multiple buildings out here. And you don't want that situation."

Only one worker was in the building when the fire began, Wenger said. The worker attempted to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher, but called fire officials when the flames began to spread.

Copyright 2008 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.