Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Wapakoneta, OH – Sprinklers assist firefighters in dousing overnight fire at Koneta rubber plant April 23, 2015 viking210 Operations shut down temporarily at the Koneta rubber plant Tuesday night after a fire forced an evacuation and caused damages. Wapakoneta Fire Chief Kendall Krites.Second shift workers noticed flames on the ceiling, which is estimated 35 to 40 feet high, above where the presses run in the process of making mud flaps and other rubber products, Krites said. Ignited material dropped onto the floor and caught some of the product on fire, Krites said. About eight workers had to evacuate the building. Fire crews arrived and the building’s sprinkler system started to work to put out flames. Krites said dousing the flames created extremely smoky conditions, which created difficult conditions for the firefighters. Krites expected damage assessment and cleanup will take the rest of the week. Mutual aid was provided from Buckland and Uniopolis. There were no injuries
