Hilke’s Ice Company looks to rebuild one week after fire destroyed ice plant

FREEBURG, Mo. (KMIZ)

For the past 50 years Hilke’s Ice Company has delivered ice across Mid-Missouri, but a week ago, a piece of the Hilke family's livelihood went up in flames.

The company experienced a fire on Wednesday, June 19 at its ice plant in Freeburg. The Missouri Division of Fire Safety determined the fire to be accidental. A press release from the Division of Fire Safety last week said video from inside the building allegedly showed the fire starting at a machine. Employees had found the fire while loading pallets onto ice trucks, the release says.

No injuries were reported, but the building was a total loss. Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham said last week that the blaze was the largest fire Osage County has ever seen. 

Hilke's owner Laron Hilke and his wife Donna said during the past week the support they've received has been "unreal."

"Our employees have stepped up two steps. They're working hard for us. The customers are understanding what's going on," Laron Hilke said.

Since the fire, the Hilkes have been receiving shipments of ice from members of their ice association to replace their lost supply. 

"Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Springfield and Tiger ice up in Columbia is helping us out," Hilke said.

The company has also adapted to a new delivery system.

"We're actually using our two other facilities to load trucks out of," he said. "So, we go up to Jeff City and down to Cuba (Missouri) to load our trucks out and working on build a cross stock."

However, rebuilding is heavy on their mind as they continue to move forward.

"We are coming back. We've already got some equipment on order already and we're got the blueprints, 90 percent there," Laron Hilke said, "I'd like the make the first bag of ice in March."

As the Hilkes find their way, the customer and community support has not waned.

"We're glad that they're able to be able to rebuild. You know, you drive in these small towns and you see those old buildings, and it's sad to see them gone. So we're very happy that we'll be able to rebuild," said Terra Hill, who is a manager at an Eagle Stop gas station that Hilke's Ice stocks.