JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A fire at a warehouse in Jacksonville's North Estates at 1401 Wheels Road that required a hazardous materials crew on scene remained contained, according to Jacksonville Fire and Rescue officials.
District Chief Andrew Harold said the fire at the Enkei facility, which manufactures tire rims, began when material inside a 40-foot-tall hopper that collects aluminum dust from the manufacturing process overheated. There were no injuries, he said.
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The facility, which is near Airport Road, operates 24 hours a day, but the late-night crew is small and all the employees were able to exit the facility safely, Harold said.
"There wasn't a great deal of fire," Harold said. "Most of it was contained inside the hopper. It did get so hot that the upper part of it, the paint on the exterior of it caught fire."
Harold said the cause for the material overheating was not known. The fire remained contained in the hopper, and there was no damage to the building, he said. Structurally, the machine was undamaged, Harold said, but the bags on the interior will have to be rebuilt.
Harold said the hazardous materials crew was brought to the scene as a precaution.