Estimated damage is minimal after a fire broke out at Bluffton Rubber Co. on Wednesday morning, according to a company official.
Harold Bailey, operations manager of the facility at 810 W. Lancaster St. in Bluffton, said he expected production to resume Wednesday night.
“We suspect it was one of our air moving machines that circulates air through the building,” Bailey said.
When Bluffton firefighters arrived around 7a.m., they saw flames coming from the roof, the Bluffton Fire Department said. After entering the factory, they saw smoke and flames in the roof area above a rubber press.
Fire investigators found several spent fire extinguishers around a manufacturing press used by the facility’s employees to fight the fire. Employees pointed out an exhaust fan above the press as the possible start of the fire, the fire department said.
Bailey said about 50 employees were working at the factory Wednesday morning and evacuated safely.
“We had everyone out of this building in a minute,” Bailey said. “Our training as far as evacuation like this worked well.”
The company manufactures rubber products, primarily for the automotive industry, at the factory, which is greater than 5,000 square feet in size, Bailey said.
Other responding fire companies included the Ossian and Liberty Center fire departments.
