A fire at the Newell Rubbermaid plant in Winfield Monday caused damage to some plastic-molding machinery at the facility, fire officials said.
Around noon, firefighters were called to the 2800 block of E. 12th for what was first thought to be thick smoke coming from a nearby mobile-home park. As emergency crews arrived, though, a significant amount of smoke could be seen pouring from Rubbermaid and a fire alarm at the building had gone off.
A skeleton crew of workers – the plant closed for Memorial Day – was at the plant when firefighters arrived and had opened a large door to the facility to allow smoke out.
Employees said a fire had started near a piece of equipment and it appears overheated hydraulic fluid may have been the source, according to Rod Bonesteel with the Winfield Fire Dept.
Workers used fire extinguishers to control the fire and fire personnel arrived to fully extinguish it.
There was no damage to the building and no one was hurt, he said. An initial estimate put damage at $30,000.
“From what I was told it was a very expensive piece of equipment,” Bonesteel said.