By Carrie Hargett
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Copyright 2007 Chattanooga Publishing Company
DALTON, Tenn. — Dalton Fire Department investigators still are trying to determine what caused a deadly fire at the Columbia Recycling Corp. on January 6.
The fire claimed the life of Leonel Delgado, 22, who died from smoke inhalation. Mr. Delgado has been buried in Mexico, said Robert Goldberg, owner of Columbia.
Dalton Fire Department Capt. Gary Baggett said, “We don’t want to prematurely lay a cause on it. It’s kind of a process of elimination (for what started the fire).”
Capt. Baggett said all indications are the fire was accidental.
Investigators have been interviewing employees who were working at the carpet materials recycling plant when the fire broke out.
“At this point, we all feel comfortable we can eliminate arson,” Capt. Baggett said.
Many of the employees at Columbia are natives of Mexico or Guatemala, but Capt. Baggett said the language barrier has not been an issue during the investigation because of the number of bilingual supervisors.
Wayne Whitaker, spokesman for Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, said the length of investigations varies depending on the fire. It is normal for an investigation to last several weeks, especially when a death is involved.
Mr. Goldberg said he is ready to move forward to rebuild as soon as the cause of the fire is determined and the property is turned back over to him.
“We are going to rebuild,” he said. “We are just waiting for the OK to start.”
Columbia is working out of rented warehouses with about 70 employees out of its normal 300, he said.
Mr. Goldberg said he’s continually been asking more employees to come back.
“Every week, we are trying to rehire to get all employees back to work,” he said. “It’s going to take time.”
Rebuilding Columbia could take six months to a year.
Mr. Goldberg said the company has been in business for 40 years and the fire will not stop them.
“We are here to stay,” he said.
Insurance investigators and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration also are investigating, officials said.