ROGERS — A fire at a recycling company in Rogers Wednesday afternoon led to air quality concerns as a plume of smoke billowed that could be seen as far away as Fayetteville and Eureka Springs.

Firefighters from Rogers, Springdale, Bentonville, Lowell, Benton County, Pea Ridge, Cave Springs, Prairie Grove and Little Flock responded to the fire at the Marck Industries recycling facility at 3507 N. Arkansas St. in Rogers around 3 p.m.

There are limited water supplies in the area, so trucks had to transport the water by bus, said Don Lisi, spokesman for the Rogers Police Department.

One civilian was injured in the fire, Lisi said, but all employees at the recycling plant were affected.

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Janelle Heggen, an employee at Marck Industries, said two of her colleagues went to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

She said about 50 people worked at the recycling plant and now they are all unemployed. She added that the company said it would find them work.

“It’ll probably all be cleaned up,” Heggen said.

A Facebook post from the Rogers Police Department said some roads in the area were completely closed around 4:30 p.m. and drivers were advised to avoid the area.

The city of Pea Ridge posted on its Facebook page around 6:20 p.m. that motorists should expect increased traffic on Arkansas 94 because traffic on US 62 East had been closed.

Heggen said the fire started with a bale of cardboard that caught fire.

According to a truck driver who did not give his name, seven truck drivers were making a routine docking at the plant when the fire broke out.

He said all but two drivers had to park their trucks in the yard behind the building because “there was only one way out and it was blocked by the fire.”

To get to safety, the truck drivers had to climb over fences at the back of the yard and through bushes.

The smoke from the fire turned a pink color as the gas from the trucks ignited. The man said the recycling plant's yard also had propane tanks for the forklifts that were in the way of the fire.

Smoke from the four-alarm fire could be seen as far away as Bentonville and Pea Ridge in Benton County and Fayetteville in Washington County.

Burning debris rose in the cloud of smoke and ash fell toward Bentonville.

The Rogers Fire Department issued a hazardous smoke alert around 4:15 p.m. The warning said people with breathing problems, the elderly and children were advised to seek shelter and shelter in place.

Heggen said the bales of recycled material contained plastic, making the fire a toxic chemical fire.

According to its website, the Marck facility was a one-stop recycling center for more than 80 different materials and grades. This center was used to transport recycling from the city.

The fire department reported on its Facebook page around 4:30 p.m. that emergency services were working to bring the situation under control. According to an update at 7:20 p.m., emergency services were still on site.

“We continue to urge people, especially those with breathing problems, to stay indoors and keep their windows and doors closed,” the update said.

The fire showed no signs of stopping as the sun set. Lisi said firefighters will be there until the fire is extinguished.

He said officers were at the scene gathering information, but no further details were available at press time.

“It’s all gone,” said Heggen. “It’s completely destroyed.”

Firefighters battle a fire at MARCK Recycling, 3507 N. Arkansas St in Rogers, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Flip Putthoff)