{gallery}06_03_10/beanfire{/gallery}It was a long night for Powell and Cody firemen last weekend as they battled the fire at Treasure Valley Seed. Firemen attack the fire at the west end of the warehouse from a safe distance just before the wall collapsed toward them. Tribune photo by Don Amend All-night battle controls major fire Powell's volunteer firefighters faced a difficult situation when a major fire broke out at Treasure Valley Seed in the middle of a holiday weekend, but they were able to control the blaze in an all-night battle.Firemen were called to the scene just before 11 p.m. Sunday, and remained on scene until 6:30 a.m. Monday. A building was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.

Fire Chief Joey Darrah said firemen faced initial difficulties because the building's location between the Garland Canal and the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe tracks gave them limited space to work in. The nearest fire hydrant was too close to the fire to bring a truck to it, and firefighters had to hook up to hydrants some distance away.

“The fire hydrants were in difficult locations, and they were so far away,” Darrah said.

Darrah said firemen determined there were no chemicals that could produce toxic smoke in the facility, and there was no wind that could have spread the fire. There was concern about a large propane tank right next to the north side of the burning building, but Darrah said the concern was limited.

“If it was going to blow up, the only building in danger was already on fire,” Darrah said.

The tank did not explode, but vented as it was designed to do, shooting flames straight up and causing no damage. Several small propane tanks used to power equipment apparently exploded, but produced no additional damage.

Other concerns were the bulk fuel tanks at McIntosh Oil, just across the railroad tracks south of the fire, but firemen kept them cool with water.

As sections of the building began to collapse, firemen faced problems in getting water to the fire, because metal from the walls and roof were in the way. Because of the holiday, firemen had difficulty locating contractors and others who could provide equipment needed to remove the metal. Eventually, though, they were able to find enough to uncover the fire and fight it effectively.

“We were able to get all the metal off and get to the fire,” Darrah said.

Four engines and 28 Powell firemen responded to the fire, and Cody responded to Darrah's request for aid with their aerial truck and 13 firemen. The Cody truck enabled firemen to spray water down on the fire and was a big asset in battling the fire, he said.

About 800 residents lost power during the blaze, according to Larry Carter, superintendent of the City of Powell Electric Department.

The fire was close to feeder lines, Carter said, which forced workers to shut down the circuit that served most of the south side of Powell and some areas on the west side. The power was off from just after 11 p.m. until 4:30 a.m.

Carter said damage included some blown transformer fuses and was limited to the site of the fire.

Darrah said he doubted the cause of the fire ever will be determined because of measures firemen had to take to uncover the fire.

“We had to tear so many things out of there, there won't be any way to reconstruct the scene and see where it started,” he said.

There were no injuries during the fire, although “a lot of guys were sore” the next day due to the long night and the physical exertion of the fight, Darrah said. He said the department did a good job of fighting the fire and had “actually saved two buildings with their efforts.”

Darrah also praised the Cody department for providing crucial help with their aerial truck.