REC puts out small fire

MOSES LAKE — Neighbors were alerted to a small fire at REC Silicon Thursday morning.

“It was a fire inside of a wash station … which is a piece of equipment used to wash other equipment,” said Plant Manager Jeff Johnson. “Because the fire sparked in the plant, we sounded the emergency system. That just how we do it.”

The alarm began at roughly 8:45 a.m. with the emergency telephone notification system alerting nearby residents and companies.

“This was simply a fire with smoke. There was no (chemical) release going out of the plant,” he said.

The fire was extinguished by 10:20 a.m.

It was in the poly manufacturing plant, where silane gas is used to make polysilicon, which is a component used in electronic manufacturing.

The damage was described as minimal. Johnson said they will conduct a routine investigation to determine the start of the fire and extent of damage.

— Staff report