Feb 20, 2013

Green Circle Growers Sustains Fire DamageSource: Green Circle Growers

On Feb. 19, Green Circle Growers in Oberlin, Ohio, sustained significant damage to a 1-acre production barn and 5 acres of greenhouse structure in an early evening blaze that took firefighters 10 hours to extinguish last night. Cause is yet to be determined, but the fire originated in an outdoor area used to store materials.

Scott Giesbrecht, co-owner and VP of sales, commented “Our primary concern was the safety of our employees and the firefighters. The firefighters did an excellent job in controlling the blaze despite high winds and freezing temperatures that made their job even more difficult. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either the fire or the process of putting out the fire, and the firefighters were able to minimize the damage through their efforts.”

Green Circle grows indoor and outdoor plants under 105 acres of greenhouse in Oberlin, Ohio. With more than 600 employees, it serves as one of southern Lorain County’s largest employers. “We have strategically built our greenhouse and production facilities to minimize the impact of events like this,” said Giesbrecht. “In addition to having alternative production areas in other parts of the facility, we have great relationships with other greenhouses throughout the country if the need arises to have plants grown for us to satisfy our customers’ demands. This fire, while a significant event, only impacted 5 percent of the growing space we use, and we are already working on preparations to repair this area.”

“We are extremely thankful for the outpouring of support already from individuals and businesses in the surrounding community and across the country. We are also blessed to have a great team at Green Circle that is already working together to ensure any interruption of daily business is kept to a minimum. As we work through the next few days, we will keep our customer and industry partners informed of our progress in keeping their business running smoothly.”