Cooper-Standard fire
By Lee Williams
Published in News on November 8, 2006 1:45 PM
Fire sparked by a kink in a piece of rubber ignited at Cooper-Standard Automotive about 9 a.m. Monday, prompting employees to call for help.
More than 17 firefighters arrived to put out the fire at the 374,000-square-foot building that employs more than 1,000 people.
No one was injured in the fire that started in an oven used to cure rubber molding that keeps wind and air out of cars.
"Our body sealing extrusion line had got a buckle in it and backed up into an air duct," said Barry Von Lanken, spokesman for Cooper-Standard, which manufactures automotive components. "It got caught inside the oven, it got very hot and smoked up a little bit."
Employees sprung into action to douse the flames, but to no avail, officials said.
"The crew tried to put it out, but there was enough blockage in the fire that they thought it would be better to call the fire department," Von Lanken said.
Armed with a ladder truck and four fire engines, firefighters rushed in and quickly contained the fire.
The blaze was knocked down in 10 minutes, Von Lanken said.
The oven was valued at $100,000. However, the fire caused only $7,500 in damage, according to the Goldsboro fire report.