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Loss in plastics company fire estimated at $11 million

A three-alarm fire engulfed the building in the 4500 block of Annapolis Road in Baltimore Highlands on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 4. Photo by Pamela Wood, Baltimore Sun (Pamela Wood / Baltimore Sun)

The massive fire that engulfed buildings at Adell Plastics in Baltimore Highlands on Oct. 4 caused an estimated $11 million in damages, according to county police.

While investigators have not pinpointed the cause of the fire, fought by more than 200 firefighters, they have not uncovered anything suspicious, a police spokesman said Friday.

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Parts of the building's walls collapsed in the intense heat and fire crews stayed on the scene for two days before smoldering spots were extinguished.

All employees were able to safely escape the building, in the 4500 block of Annapolis Road. One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.

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The company, in business for nearly 60 years, is a plastics compounder, blending plastics and chemicals to produce specific products and raw materials for a number of industries, including auto parts manufacturers and electronics, according to its product literature.

Adell owner Arthur Dellheim, in an email to the industry publication Plastics News, said work from Baltimore will be handled at its other operations, a polymers plant in Petersburg, W.Va., and a compounding facility in Denham Springs, La.

Executives could not be reached for comment Friday.

Building inspectors deemed the structure unsafe and portions were being demolished to allow firefighters to check for hot spots two days after the blaze.

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Smoke from the fire, reported on a clear autumn afternoon, was visible for miles and caused delays on the Baltimore Beltway and Interstate 95 into the evening rush hour.

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