Chemical reaction blamed for fire at factory
This article was originally published February 24, 2010 at 11:29 a.m. Updated February 24, 2010 at 2:12 p.m.
LITTLE ROCK — A chemical reaction in a machine used to mix rubber for tire bladders caused a fire at a Little Rock factory this morning, officials said.
No one was injured but the blaze prompted an evacuation of Tire Curing Bladders, 5701 Murray St., and caused significant damage, Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Jason Weaver said.
Fire crews reported smoke damage throughout the structure as well as fire damage to the machine where it started, which Weaver said spans three stories in an underground space beneath the factory.
Investigators believe something went wrong during a chemical reaction in the production process, causing the materials used to make the tire bladders to ignite.
"Usually it reaches a certain temperature and the machine dumps it," Weaver said. "But this time it was on fire when it dumped it."
John Almon, one of the factory owners, said it's still unclear precisely what caused the fire.
"We mix a hundred batches a day," he said. "What happened in this particular case, we don't know."
It took crews about 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze, which was reported about 9:20 a.m.
Replacing the machine - known as a Banbury mixer - could cost upwards of $1 million, but Almon said the business will repair the damaged one. That will likely run a couple hundred-thousand dollars, he said.
In the meantime, all rubber used at the facility will be mixed off-site. Even before the fire, some of the rubber used there was mixed at off-site locations, Almon said.
"So we won't miss a beat as far as production goes," he said, adding shifts would start back up at 3 p.m.
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