Fraser

Businessman convicted after suspicious factory fire

By Heidi Roman
C & G Staff Writer

Jury says methanol was stored in building illegally

FRASER — A jury found the owner of a Fraser company guilty of storing flammable chemicals without a permit to do so. The chemicals caused a massive blaze last year that destroyed a factory near Kelly and 15 Mile roads and took hours to extinguish.

The fire occurred at 1 p.m. Oct. 17, 2008, at Endurance Painting, located on Malyn.

Detective Lt. Dan Kolke, Fraser’s fire division commander, said it was one of the biggest fires the city has seen in years. Firefighters from five different communities were called to help extinguish the flames, which caused the roof to collapse within a half-hour and took most of the day to control.

“We tried to do an initial attack, but after 10 minutes, we pulled our guys out,” Kolke said.

Several employees had been inside at the time of the fire, but all were evacuated safely. One firefighter suffered minor burns.

Investigators said the fire was suspicious, and subsequently charged the owner, John Sansoterra of Sterling Heights, with the storage/use of methanol without a permit, a 93-day misdemeanor.

Kolke said Sansoterra was combining the methanol with fats and oils to make biodiesel, a type of fuel. The owner never told investigators exactly what sparked the fire, but Kolke believes some sort of error was made during the process.

“We could never determine what happened because the building burned so quickly, and the fire was so hot,” he said.

The city had authorized the company to store paint, but had never approved a permit to store methanol at the business, Kolke said.

Sansoterra’s attorney, Robert Ihrie, could not be reached for comment.

A jury trial was held June 15 at the 39th District Court in Roseville, and Sansoterra was found guilty. Sentencing has been set for June 30. Kolke said the Fraser Department of Public Safety is seeking about $70,000 in restitution from the owner of the company.

“Our Fire Department was there for 12 hours,” he said. “A lot of chemicals from the fire went into the drains in the area, and we had to have a company come out and clean the drains to make sure (hazardous substances) didn’t get into the Clinton River.”

In the meantime, the factory still stands in its ruined state. Kolke said the whole building will need to be rebuilt, as it is not salvageable. It should have been torn down by now, but Kolke said the city is not getting cooperation to do so.

The building was also shared by Camelot Installations, police said.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Heidi Roman at hroman@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5006.