(La Porte, IN) - A man sentenced to federal prison last week was connected with the fire that destroyed the old American Rubber plant in La Porte in 2022.  Dennis Zeedyk, 53, received a four year federal prison sentence on mail and tax fraud allegations.  Details on the federal sentencing can be found by clicking HERE.

 

Zeedyk rented the old American Rubber building and practically filled up an old storage area with pallets of expired hand sanitizer he was planning to recycle.

 

He also owned Glycerin Traders, a company in Stillwell that processed and sold glycerin, methanol and other biofuel products.  At least two much smaller fires related to the flammable alcohol based products occurred at their Stillwell facility after the huge blaze at the former American Rubber Co.

 

La Porte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said the investigation showed the fire at the old American Rubber plant started close to where some of the hand sanitizer was stored.  The flammable product was in containers as large as 80 gallon drums to one ounce bottles packaged in boxes.

 

Snyder said human involvement with the fire is suspected because of reports of vagrants finding there way inside the building. Whether it was set intentionally or by accident many never be known unless a major lead develops.

 

“Unfortunately, at this point and time, we are kind of in a stalemate in us moving forward,” Snyder said.

 

Snyder said Zeedyk was given permission by the city to store the hand sanitizer but he failed to live up to his promise of having someone inside the building around the clock just in case a fire broke out so it could be reported quickly.  He said the stipulation was made because the sprinkler system inside the structure was in disrepair.

 

According to federal authorities, Zeedyk was the maker of an ethanol based product.  Some batches contained a mixture of wood alcohol and three people died from somehow ingesting the product.