Former TreatCo plant continues to burn

The former TreatCo plant on North Broadway that caught fire Thursday morning continued to burn on Friday. It’s the third time third time the facility has burned since 2011.

Wichita firefighters were called at 3:36 a.m. Thursday to the building at 2300 N. Broadway. Fire Investigation Unit Capt. Kelly Zane said at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday that he had little information since the fire was still being fought. “They have been shelling units out there all day long, doing stuff,” Zane said.

The Wichita Fire Department tweeted at 3:51 p.m. that they have “reduced operations to the point where we are monitoring fire spots within the structure.”

“We are not able to directly attack the fire but will have crews on scene to monitor the situation until it is self-extinguished,” the tweet says.

TreatCo, which made pet treats, had a fire that burned for 10 days in June 2011. The fire, fed by the fat in heaps of animal parts, cardboard packaging and the plastic insulation around dehydrating ovens, burned and smoldered for weeks.

In 2013, the building again caught fire after sparks from welding ignited combustible materials and the building’s Styrofoam insulation.

Sedgwick County spokesperson Kate Flavin said the building was valued at zero dollars on the county tax rolls because of its dilapidation.

Contributing: Amy Renee Leiker of The Eagle; Eagle archives.

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 6:49 PM.