Part of History

It was sad to hear that the old RB&W had a major fire. It was a big part of my life growing up. Dad worked there from the time I was born til he retired 30 some years later. My mom used to say I was bought and pay for by the paychecks from there. My sister Mary worked there to help pay for her college in the 70s and I did too in the early 80s. But changing times and the downturn of the steel industry and republicans made it harder and harder for this little factory to survive. I knew that when it was sold that the end was in site. I didn't think that it would ever reopen as a steel factory but I did think they could redo the place as yuppie condos or something like that.
And to this Sandy Henrekin, executive director of the Rock Falls Community Development Corporation,shut up.




  






The remains of the Reliant Fastener building smoldered Saturday in the aftermath of the Friday night fire that consumed the abandoned manufacturing plant at the corner of First Avenue and First Street in Rock Falls.

The curious drove by to see the smoking, crumbling exterior, while others stopped to take pictures of the building.

Minus a roof, and with some walls having crumbled in, the building emitted wisps of smoke from its mangled interior more than 18 hours after the fire began.

About 100 firefighters from 15 area fire departments pitched in to quell the blaze. Firefighters were on scene from 5:15 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. dumping thousands of gallons of water on the fire.

After leaving the scene, Rock Falls firefighters were called out again around midnight to again douse some flare-ups within the building, Nathan Hartman, a Rock Falls firefighter, said Saturday afternoon.

"There are still hot spots all over," Hartman said. "We were back there last night for about three more hours. They had some hot spots that were infringing on the structure that had not burned."

By 3:55 p.m. Saturday, firefighters had returned six times to the scene to check on calls from the public regarding smoke continuing to come from the building, said Rock Falls Fire Captain Cris Bouwens.

"It's just big, heavy timbers and they're continuing to smolder," Bouwens said.

Police were continuing to check on the building as well, Bouwens said.

Rock Falls Building Inspector Mark Searing speculated Friday that homeless people may have caused the fire while seeking shelter from Friday's snowstorm.

According to Hartman, the fire department previously has been called out to take care of small campfires on the 17-acre Reliant property.

"We have had people down there before with fires," Hartman said.

He added that it will be impossible to conduct any sort of investigation until the fire finishes smoldering and everything cools down.

Sandy Henrekin, executive director of the Rock Falls Community Development Corporation, pointed to a silver lining. The fire may expedite the removal of the eyesore.

"I am actually hoping it takes care of some problems, but until I actually get a look at what burned, it is hard to say," Henrekin said.

The city and the corporation had planned to work together early next year to begin asbestos removal at Reliant in preparation for the eastern portion of the property to be razed.

Fire departments from all over came to assist Rock Falls in putting down the fire, including Sterling, Dixon city and rural, Morrison, Tampico, Prohpetstown, Harmon, Fulton, Walnut, Amboy, Chadwick, Coleta, Erie and Lanark.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No one was hurt.

The factory was originally founded as part of the Russel Burdsall and Ward Bolt and Nut company in the early 1900s. It remained under the R. B. and W. name until about 1990 when it was sold and the name changed to Reliant Fastner. In 2002 the plant was shut down and has sat empty ever since.