(Cleveland)- The fire Wednesday night at Southern Legacy Wood Products north of Cleveland may have put a damper on the new startup business but owner Jadie Hatcher says he’s ready to “back up and punt, go again, learn from it and come out stronger in the end.”
The business which is located on Helen Highway at the site of the former Mt. Yonah Lumber Company, produces Kiln Dried Firewood. Speaking on WRWH Radio Friday morning, Hatcher said he had remotely turned off the kiln used in the process Wednesday evening and that’s when something went wrong.
Kiln full of firewood blows roof off building
“The kiln burner, the flame was off yet it was feeding fuel inside the chamber with natural gas. When the kiln vent opened up it also added oxygen to that mixture, so oxygen and fuel plus the heat of the wood caused the explosion,” said Hatcher.
Several people reported hearing large explosions prior to the fire.
White County Fire, Cleveland Fire Department along with the fire brigade from Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto battled the blaze for several hours Wednesday night and early Thursday.
Hatcher said he’s glad that no one was hurt in the incident and praised local officials for what they did.
“It was amazing to sit back and watch, I was actually watching them (firemen and police) more than I was the fire. I can’t thank them enough and the support from the community makes me proud to be a White Countian. I’ve always been proud, but I couldn’t be prouder than I am today,” Hatcher told WRWH.
According to Hatcher, some kiln and fire experts were going to visit the site Friday to look at the kiln and provide their input on exactly what happened.
Click HERE to hear the complete interview on WRWH Radio 93.9FM/1350AM
By: Dean Dyer | WRWH News
