Fire heavily damages fertilizer factory

EDGAR CO., Ill. (WTHI) - A fire at a fertilizer factory causes upwards of a half-million dollars in damage.

It happened at Keys Fertilizer Sales in Edgar County, Illinois just after 4 p.m. Friday.

The factory is just east of Paris, Illinois.

The fire started in the manufacturing area.

Luckily, nobody was injured in the fire.

Fire crews estimate the fire damage to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They say the heat we're experiencing makes battling all fires very difficult.

"Hot day means the rehab gotta come a lot quicker to the guys. They're gonna get worn out a lot quicker," said Brian Gates, Paris Fire Chief. "Being in the gear in this type of weather is like having a snow suit on walking around, and with them out there working we're needing a lot more manpower."

It's not yet clear what started the fire.

At least three different fire agencies responded to the fire.