Fire breaks out at General Iron week after company pays settlement to city over explosion

A week after General Iron’s owner paid $18,000 to settle a number of violation notices issued by the city for air pollution and other nuisances, a fire broke out in the metal-shredder’s yard in Lincoln Park Tuesday afternoon.

General Iron’s operations are being moved to the Southeast Side and last week’s announcement by the city helped the business’ owner Reserve Management Group resolve those past issues as it seeks a final permit to begin operations along the Calumet River.

One of the citations settled last week related to an explosion in May.

The fire Tuesday started in some debris laying in General Iron’s yard and didn’t appear to be related to equipment, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.

Three fire engines were called and the large rubbish fire was extinguished “relatively quickly,” Langford said. There were no reported injuries.

Initial air sampling showed no toxic materials released in the air, he said.

RMG said in a statement that the metal shredder “was not operating prior to or during the incident due to maintenance. ... We are investigating possible causes and we are fully cooperating with City officials.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, RMG had not filed its full application to receive its final permit, a city spokesman said.

Brett Chase’s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.