Investigation is underway at the site of an industrial fire in Pell City that kept Pell City Fire Department (PCFD) crews mobilized for 26 continuous hours on July 30-31.

    On Tuesday, July 30, at 6 p.m. PCFD responded to a report of smoke in the ventilation system at Royal Foods, located at 1904 16th Ave S. in Pell City. Crews arrived within minutes and found one of the company’s two plant facilities emitting heavy smoke.

    Smoke poured from the roof of the original Royal Foods facility on June 30, 2024. Drone photography by Brian Muenger.

    Pell City Fire Chief Tim Kurzejeski engaged the PCFD Special Operations Team, and on-duty staff entered the plant to attempt suppression efforts from within. Within 45 minutes, PCFD had 45 of the department’s 60 firefighters on site, but the crews were forced into defensive positions when the fire spread to inaccessible parts of the plant and compromised the roof structure.

    Teams from Pell City Police Department, Pell City Street Department, and Pell City Utility Department were all called to the scene to provide critical support to the firefighting teams. With assistance from St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency, Kurzejeski requested mutual aid from regional partners. Six fire departments provided personnel and equipment to assist in containment and suppression efforts.

    Photo courtesy of Jared Brannon

    “The response to our request for assistance was unbelievable,” Kurzejeski said. “Our City departments were operating as a complete team alongside our partners who answered the call for aid.”

    Throughout the 26-hour mobilization, PCFD and mutual aid partners used more than 3 million gallons of water to suppress the plant fire. Kurzejeski credited Utility Superintendent James Hadaway and his team for rising to meet the challenge of supplying the water without interruption.

    He also thanked Street Department Director Greg Gossett and Pell City Police Chief Clay Morris for the constant support. Both teams led traffic control around the site. City Manager Brian Muenger, in conjunction with the Police Department, provided drone footage to help firefighters target hotspots, and the Street Department provided a constant supply of fuel and other resources to PCFD and their mutual aid partners.

    “In Pell City, we operate as a unit,” Kurzejeski said. “During this operation you were able to see multiple departments and agencies come together without missing a beat, put their training into practice, and do everything they could to protect the structure, prevent injury, and contain the fire.”

    The fire started in the plant’s original structure, a building Royal Foods moved into when it relocated to Pell City in 1992. Royal Foods’ staff were fully evacuated, and firefighters were able to contain the fire to the original facility. No injuries were caused by the fire, either to Royal Foods employees or to the suppression teams, and all other Royal Foods structures at the site were protected.

    Kurzejeski and other City leaders remained in contact with Royal Foods throughout efforts to extinguish the fire, which resulted in a total loss of the structure. The company said in a statement issued July 31 that it intended to retain all 130 employees at the site, and that Royal Foods was looking forward with optimism.

    As of this release, the site is still considered active and PCFD crews are continuing to monitor the plant for potential flare-ups. 19th Street is open to the public.

    PCFD is investigating the cause of the fire with assistance from the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

    Photo courtesy of Jared Brannon

    Mutual aid responders and contributing departments and agencies included:

    • Springville Fire Department
    • Odenville Fire Department
    • Leeds Fire Department
    • Lincoln Fire Department
    • Trussville Fire Department
    • New London Volunteer Fire Department
    • Pell City Police Department
    • Pell City Street Department
    • Pell City Water Department
    • St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office
    • St. Clair Emergency Management Agency
    • Alabama Power
    • Springville Community Emergency Response Team

    “I’m thankful for the overwhelming support from our mutual aid partners,” Kurzejeski said. “I’d also like to thank the members of the Pell City Fire Department for their grit and commitment throughout the response. The moment we received the call, we hit the ground running and did not stop. If that jacket is on, we’re moving. I would not have expected anything less of our firefighters. They go above and beyond, give anything and everything, and always work to complete the task.”

    Photo courtesy of Jared Brannon