Nearly a week after the Farmland fire destroyed a third of the facility, lingering hot spots prompted workers to begin demolition Saturday morning as the wrecking ball of a 150-foot crane slammed into the structure.

Saturday, July 14, 2001

Nearly a week after the Farmland fire destroyed a third of the facility, lingering hot spots prompted workers to begin demolition Saturday morning as the wrecking ball of a 150-foot crane slammed into the structure.

Albert Lea Fire Chief Rich Sydnes said getting to the hot spots would be impossible without removing tons of debris.

&uot;I’m glad they’re getting started on the demolition,&uot; said Albert Lea Fire Chief Rich Syndes. &uot;They need to be able to get at those hot spots. Things are drying up in there, and we’ve had some flare-ups.&uot;

Sydnes said smoldering timbers and beams could ignite tar and other flammables, running the risk of another large fire.

&uot;The longer it sits and dries out, the more risk of it taking off again,&uot; he said.

Though he’s concerned about the hot spots, Sydnes said the city has not taken any action to condemn the building. He’s simply interested in seeing the fire completely extinguished.

&uot;We did not condemn the building. Nothing like that would ever happen so soon after a fire,&uot; Sydnes said. &uot;I’m just concerned because the whole thing is unsafe right now. Demolition is probably the only way to take care of it at this point.&uot;