PAULDING — A glass factory here was gutted by fire Sunday morning.
Paulding firefighters were called at 8:12 a.m. Sunday to Ohio Mirror Tech at 400 W. Wall St. — just a block away from the fire department — where the company’s two metal buildings were destroyed.
Upon arrival they found the business fully engulfed with fire, so it appears there was not much they could do to stop the blaze.
The Paulding Fire Department was the primary agency that responded to the scene and coordinated the response, receiving assistance from the Crane Township-Cecil, Antwerp and Payne fire departments.
Paulding Fire Chief Todd Weidenhamer said Sunday evening that the fire did not appear to be suspicious in nature. He said the fire was called in after neighbors heard explosions, presumably from propane tanks inside the factory.
No injuries were reported as the business was closed at the time of the fire.
The factory is owned by ACME Specialty Manufacturing, Toledo, which purchased the business within the last five years, according to Paulding County Economic Development Director Tim Copsey. The business had been there for many years, he noted.
Eight to 12 workers were employed at the location, Copsey told The Crescent-News.
He said as soon as his office found out about the fire officials reached out to ACME Specialty Manufacturing about assisting the factory’s displaced workers.
“It’s devastating to lose any facility regardless of how many employees they have,” Copsey said. “We want to make sure we can do everything we can to assist those that are displaced.”
The factory specializes in coatings for rearview mirrors, according to Copsey. This could serve a variety of businesses from automakers to those which manufacture ATVs and agricultural machinery, he explained.
