Fire Chief John Hoppenjans said firefighters arrived after the 11:07 a.m. page to find the building full of smoke. The fire had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system, he said.
The fire department ventilated the building with exhaust fans.
Hoppenjans said maintenance personnel were removing an old spray booth when a spark ignited old lacquer residue.
Personnel on site quickly tried to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher but the fire got out of control. Those on site then exited the building.
Four trucks and 22 firefighters were on the scene 75 minutes.
The Ferdinand Police Department assisted as did Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Services, which had an ambulance on standby.
