News : Following Marengo Fire, 3 area Departments to have gear replaced by the State

Iowa Homeland Security will be paying over $600,000 to replace firefighting equipment and gear that was damaged in the Marengo explosion which happened on December 8, 2022. The company C6-Zero which owns the plant refused to pay for the replacement costs.

More than 20 departments that responded to the incident needed to replace gear that was ruined by both diesel fuel and solvents stored at the plant. Without the help from the government, some of the departments would be left to fight fires with outdated and unsafe equipment.

The explosion at the plan injured several employees, caused an evacuation and also polluted nearby land and water due to the chemicals on site. C6-Zero attempted to dissolve used shingles into oil, sand and fiberglass with a petroleum based solvent which left a tar-like residue on the firefighters gear that wasn't able to be cleaned. 

Iowa County had sent a letter demanding reimbursement to the company's owner in January in the amount of $640,121 for damaged equipment. Iowa law 455B.392 says that anyone "having control over a hazardous substance" is liable to the state or other government body for "reasonable cleanup costs."

Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management will pay up to $640,000 from the Iowa Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Fund to replace the damaged gear. This fund also includes money from the American Rescue Plan Act, authorized by Congress in 2021.

Three Benton County Fire departments are included in the list of those that will have their equipment replaced by the state. The list includes Belle Plaine, Norway, Blairstown and 15 other departments.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is also seeking reimbursement for $834,000 for cleanup and removal of toxic "forever chemicals" from water that is located in a 12-million-gallon basin runoff from the fire. 

In addition, C6-Zero agreed in a court order to pay $333,580 to EcoSource, out of  Des Moines, to clean up contaminated soil and water at the site. The company also agreed to put $75,000 in a trust account to fund assessment and remediation work.