Fire Destroys Building at Hammonton Pool Maker

HAMMONTON - An overnight fire destroyed the operations building at Water World Fiberglass Pools N.E. Inc. on Reading Avenue.

Shortly after 11 p.m. Monday, a fire broke out in the building where the company manufacturers its fiberglass pools and spas, according to Al Tallman, whose family has owned and operated the business for 50 years....Continue Reading

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"There are flammable and hazardous materials all over the place in there," Tallman said.

Fire companies from throughout Atlantic, Burling-ton, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties responded to help provide the water to fight the blaze, Hammonton Fire Chief Domenick DiGiovannangelo said.

"We had a bulk of the fire out in three hours," DiGiovannangelo said. "But we were on scene until about 5:30 a.m. dealing with some hot spots."

Due to the chemicals and materials burning inside the building, DiGiovannangelo said, the state Department of Environmental Protection was on location monitoring water runoff and the Office of Emergency Management monitored air quality. There were no issues with either reported.

Police Chief Frank Ingemi said the cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Water World employees began the cleanup effort Tuesday afternoon.

About a dozen men in white suits and masks could be seen shoveling ash, debris and insulation into piles. The roof of the building was partially collapsed and stacks of fiberglass pools behind it were reduced to clumps just a few feet high.

Tallman said he had no idea what could have started the blaze, but said he was grateful that firefighters were able to prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings.

"They really did an amazing job," said Tallman, adding that security cameras on a neighboring building captured the blaze and fire fighting efforts.

Thanks to those efforts, Tallman said, Water World would be able to start building pools again on a smaller scale within 30 days. He said the company should be back to full strength within six months to a year.

The company serves 13 states and parts of Canada with pools and spas from its Hammonton location, Tallman said.

"This is the fourth fire our family has endured, and every time we've picked up the pieces and came back even better," said Tallman, adding that the company's other location in Georgia has been damaged by two fires during its 30 years of operation. Tallman said his grandfather also dealt with a fire at the company's original location in upstate New York.

"Most businesses would have closed on the day after being up all night dealing with something like this. Not us," Tallman said. "We know what to do because we've been through it before. We're already moving forward."

 E-mail Robert Spahr: RSpahr@pressofac.com

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