(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
Berkshire Hathaway’s BNSF Railway suffered a major fire at its Alliance Intermodal Facility in Alliance, Nebraska on Sunday, April 11. The fire was in the roof of the structure, but the majority of the damage was caused by smoke and the water used to extinguish the blaze.
The damage was initially estimated at $3 million, including $2 million in damage to electronic equipment.
There were no injuries.
“We did have a structural fire; all our employees were safely evacuated, thankfully,” Amy Casas, senior director of external communications with BNSF Railway, said. “The local fire department managed to extinguish the fire within a few hours. We currently have a temporary worksite set up for any employees who worked out of that building while we conduct inspections and any necessary remediation work to the facility. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.”
Berkshire Hathaway has been snakebit with fires recently, with a major fire destroying a Lubrizol plant in Rouen, France in September 2019. Last month a fire destroyed a Forest River RV plant in Goshen, Indiana, and on April 7, there was a fire at a Johns Manville plant in Winslow Township, New Jersey.
© 2021 David Mazor
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway and BYD, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell a stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.