AUBURN – Firefighters battling a blaze inside Gates Formed Fibre early Monday were greeted by 100-foot flames shooting in several directions and sparks raining from the ceiling of the building.

One Gates employee suffered smoke inhalation and damage to equipment was estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office said it appeared dust inside duct work near one of the buildings’ ovens was the cause of the blaze. The result was a flash fire that burned through duct work and sent flames shooting toward the ceiling. Investigators said at one point, flames were shooting 100 feet in four directions.

Employees discovered the fire about 12:30 a.m. near what is known as the Number Three oven, investigators said. The oven, described as a big drum, is one of several used to dry material at Gates, which manufacturers trunk liners for automobiles.

Investigators believe a spark or other source of ignition caused dust to burst into flames inside a motor cabinet duct attached to the oven.

Employees initially tried to put out the fire, said State Fire Marshal’s Office Inspector Dan Roy Jr.

Then flames began spreading across other equipment and moving toward the ceiling. The employees then fled the building.

The employee who suffered smoke inhalation was later treated and released.

Roy said overhead sprinklers inside the building helped keep the fire limited. However they did little to extinguish the flames.

“The firefighters experienced a lot of flames when they got to the scene,” Roy said. “It was rolling across the ceiling. Sparks were raining down and igniting spot fires.”

By the time the blaze was brought under control, investigators estimated damage to machinery was at least $100,000. However, the origin of the blaze affected just one of four work lines inside the approximately 200,000-square-foot building.

Damage to the building was mostly cosmetic, Roy said. Gates employees were back at work later Monday morning.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com

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