A sprinkler system at a small company in Batavia put out a fire before firefighters arrived late Tuesday, according to a news release.

A fire alarm notified firefighters at 11 p.m. July 2 at Mat Masters, 1055 Paramount Parkway, Batavia, but it was extinguished by a sprinkler system, the release stated.

When firefighters arrived, however, the building had smoke and they upgraded the situation to a general alarm for a fire. Other responding agencies were St. Charles, Geneva, North Aurora and Fermilab, who assisted with overhaul and ventilation, the release stated.

Firefighters controlled the area within 20 minutes by 11:30 p.m., the release stated.

No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.

According to its website, www.matmastersil.com, the company offers floor mats, napkins, table cloths, towels, aprons, paper products, hand soaps, air fresheners and dust mops.

John Denormandie, owner of Mat Masters, said firefighters had to go through the building to make sure there were no hot spots, which can reignite the fire.

The company’s second shift of two employees had just left an hour before the fire alarm, Denormandie said.

“As of right now, I have no idea how it started,” Denormandie said. “There is no third shift.”

The first shift has seven employees, he said.

The business was operational by 4:30 a.m., he said.

“The first shift is in at 5:30 a.m., but they came in early at 4 a.m. to clean up,” Denormandie said. “We have the most amazing employees. … They showed up. How much more could I ask? They’re good people.”

After sanding and finishing a set of stairs at Trefzger’s Bakery, owners Jeff and Martha Huebner tossed their oil-stained socks into a trash can and went home Sunday afternoon.

Hours later, the socks burst aflame, sparking a fire that caused as much as $250,000 in losses at the business, 4416 N. Prospect Road.

“The socks just started on fire by spontaneous combustion,” Jeff Huebner said. “It was just one of those weird things that we never would have imagined would happen.”

In their stocking feet Sunday afternoon, he and his wife used linseed oil to finish a set of worn stairs on the first floor of the two-story structure. When the job was done, they realized their socks were ruined.

“We just tossed them into the garbage and didn’t think anything of it,” he said.

But late Sunday, with the building unoccupied, the oily socks ignited inside the otherwise empty plastic can, said Peoria Heights Fire Chief Greg Walters. He said that oils like linseed oil, if compressed — such as within a clump of cloth materials, like socks — will heat up and catch the cloth on fire.

That is what occurred inside the Trefzger’s trash can, which melted next to cake-preparation table. A bag inside the can burned and melted, with embers falling onto cardboard boxes under the table. The boxes then caught fire, triggering a fire alarm and Trefzger’s sprinkler system just before 11:30 p.m.

As firefighters responded, Peoria Heights police spotted flames on the first floor of the building. Firefighters arrived to find the fire at the prep table, Walters said.

A crew stretched water lines inside to extinguish the fire, containing the fire damage to that area. The sprinkler system also helped slow the spread of the fire, Walters said. Assisting were firefighters from Peoria, West Peoria and Chillicothe, while Limestone Township firefighters provided back-up coverage.

Walters said that the structure sustained no damage from the actual fire. However, smoke and water damage is extensive, he said. The total loss — including cleanup, plus potential lost revenue and wages — is estimated between $100,000 and $250,000, Walters said.

After contacting his insurer, Jeff Huebner said the business will be closed for a couple of days while a cleanup service — already on the scene Monday morning — put the place back in working order. At the end of the cleanup, the Peoria City/County Health Department will examine the business to clear it for operations again.

On Oct. 13, 2016, Trefzger’s Bakery completed its nine-block move north on Prospect Road and opened for business inside a renovated, 121-year-old former bicycle factory.