WELLINGTON, Ohio — Residents in Wellington are being asked to conserve water after a massive fire broke out at the village's water treatment plant on Monday evening.
Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider says the fire started at approximately 7 p.m. Firefighters from 13 departments responded to the blaze.
When crews arrived, they discovered a vehicle on fire in the lower garage and office building, which is attached to the treatment plant. Flames could be seen spreading up into the attic of the building.
Crews finally got the fire under control at around 1 a.m.
The good news is a firewall kept the flames from causing major damage to the treatment side of the facility, however, the portion of the facility closest to Pitts Road, consisting of the testing lab and the office complex, was destroyed.
Officials say right now, the biggest concern is the current water supply in the village.
Schneider and leaders of the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) are asking residents to curtail their water usage due to the reduced filtration capacity.
Wellington Water and Wellington Electric are working to restore power to the facility in order to continue treating water.
"Our power supply has been interrupted. As soon as we apply a temporary power supply to the treatment in the operations side of the plant, we will be in a position to move water again," says Mark Rosemark, public information officer at the Wellington plant. "We have an active tie-in system with the rural water system and they are providing water for us at this point."
Rosemark says the plant will be kept offline until everything is inspected.
In the meantime, Schneider says water in the village is safe to consume. Wellington does have a large underground water tank and two water towers that are still full.
Wellington's facility has partnered with a neighboring water plant in Oberlin for now.
Schneider adds that cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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