After a blaze gutted a Dietz & Watson meat warehouse in Delanco, company officials are recommending neighbors submit claims to the firm's insurance carrier to get lingering stench and soot cleaned up.
Weeks after the Sept. 1 blaze, residents were complaining that the neighborhood near the warehouse in the tiny riverfront community smelled like burnt hot dogs and rancid meat. Some complained about a haze that hung over the smoldering plant for several weeks and about blobs of burnt debris and broken solar panels that had landed on their properties.
But now that the building's remains have been completely removed, after more than 35 tons of spoiled meat were hauled away, the company is reaching out to neighbors to offer help with any issues they still may have. In a message posted on the Delanco Township website, the company announced it had set up a system for neighbors to contact one of two preferred cleaning companies to evaluate any problems the blaze caused and to provide an estimate to be submitted to the company's insurance company. A liason will help in processing the claims.
Company CEO Louis Eni said in the note that the firm wants to "assist our neighbors who were impacted by the fire and the subsequent cleanup." Dietz & Watson is a fourth-generation family-owned and operated business that was founded 75 years ago in Philadelphia.
The official cause of the fire has not been determined but fire officials initially ruled out arson.