Top 10 of 2019: Ziegenfelder Co. Bounces Back After January Blaze
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Intelligencer presents a look back at the past year with the top 10 stories of 2019, as voted on by the newspaper's editorial staff. The top stories will run through Tuesday.
WHEELING -- After a three-alarm fire destroyed the main office area of the Ziegenfelder Frozen Treat Company at its 18th Street location on Jan. 31, the company continues to bounce back while rebuilding the section of the plant that was consumed by the fire.
Under single-digit temperatures, nearly 90 firefighters fought the blaze under challenging conditions with ammonia and other chemicals stored inside the facility.
No injuries were reported as employees of the frozen treat company were quickly evacuated as heavy smoke billowed from the site for several hours. It was in early March when company officials announced all of their employees were back to work. No jobs were lost as a result of the blaze.
Numerous fire departments, including, Martins Ferry and Cumberland Trail assisted Wheeling firefighters as they fought the blaze from the ground and the roof of the structure. Wheeling Fire Chief Larry Helms said the single-digit temperatures made crews' jobs harder than usual that day. He said the factory's safety plan and the fast work of the fire crews who first arrived at the scene helped reduce the impact of the blaze.
The Wheeling Police Department closed several streets in a two-block radius of the plant throughout most of the day and several nearby facilities were evacuated and closed for several hours. Fire crews were able to protect the tanks of ammonia used at the plant to manufacture Twin Pops frozen treats.
Officials with the Wheeling Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Investigations determined the fire was accidental and started from a heating device being used to unthaw metal piping.
Following the fire, Ziegenfelder's then-president and CEO Lisa Allen, said the company was blessed by the community's outpouring of support.
"It's very emotional. … Up to 90 firefighters spent up to five hours taking care of us, risking their lives to save our lives and our business," she commented.
She said the family-owned firm received an outpouring of support and offers of assistance from the local community and sources worldwide.
In July, the company held a free concert at Wheeling's waterfront for area families to enjoy as a "thank you" to the community for its continued support following the fire.
Meanwhile the company is in the process of rebuilding the section of their plant that was destroyed in the fire, according to Kevin Heller, CEO of The Ziegenfelder Company.
"We are excited to reopen that part of our facility as soon as possible and increase our production capacity in Wheeling," Heller commented.