Van Wingerden Fire Causes $2.5M In Damages
August 13, 2008 
Firefighters battle flames late Sunday night at
Van Wingerden International in Mills River, N.C.
(Mike Dirks/Times-News)
A fire at Van Wingerden International in Mills River, N.C., that investigators are calling suspicious destroyed a 3-acre greenhouse filled with poinsettias Sunday night and, according to the company, caused $2.5 million in total damages. The Times-News in Hendersonville, N.C., reported the story.
As of Monday night, investigators had eliminated every accidental cause except smoking material like matches and cigarettes. Fourteen fire departments from three counties were called to the scene late Sunday night.
The fire began at the south end of the greenhouse, and shade cloth draped across houses led to an easy spread. The blaze was especially difficult for firefighters to battle because the plastic roof melted and dripped onto firefighters in a hot lava form. The melted plastic also created toxic smoke.
“It was one of the worst-case scenarios for toxic smoke,” says Rick Livingston, Mills River fire chief.
Thousands of poinsettias were destroyed in the fire, VanWingerden owner Bert Lemkes says, and he isn’t sure the company will be able to replace the plants in time for Christmas. “It’s just pitiful,” he says.
“We are looking to get plants that are already rooted. The plants saved from the fire might still die because of the toxic smoke and lack of care.”
To read the full Times-News story, click here.
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