Calif. cooler fire destroys product From The Packer staff SALINAS, Calif. -- A cooler undergoing r

7/31/1992 12:00:00 AM

By Betty Wilson

Calif. cooler fire destroys product

From The Packer staff

SALINAS, Calif. -- A cooler undergoing repairs was accidentally set afire June21, destroying approximately $6,000 worth of produce and other merchandiseowned by Fresh Western Marketing Inc.

Fresh Western lost about eight pallets of product, mainly strawberries andcauliflower, said Steve Church, vice president of sales.

Fire officials estimated the base fire loss at $170,000, which includesstructural damage, loss of production hours and about $10,000 worth ofmerchandise.

Church said the cooler is unusable for the rest of the season, throughNovember, but that two other larger coolers leased by Fresh Western wereunaffected by the fire.

Workers were de-icing the refrigeration unit when the sparks from a blow torchignited leaking ammonia, said Mark Latham, Deputy Fire Chief of the SalinasFire Department. No one was injured.

The building, owned by Growers Ice Co., is being subleased by Fresh Western.The building also houses other coolers and is connected with an ice plantwhere 300-pound blocks of ice are produced.