Menu
Small fire at Crown out before firefighters arrive
Damage was limited in a small fire at Crown Equipment Friday morning.
The Greencastle Fire Department was dispatched to the factory at 2600 E. S.R. 240, but the fire was out upon firefighters' arrival.
Fire Chief Bill Newgent said the fire likely resulted from ongoing construction at the plant on the city's east side.
Consulting with maintenance personnel at Crown, fire investigators believe a spark from the construction equipment likely got into a ventilation system, igniting material that was inside.
The fire was, however, contained by the vent area, which serves as an exhaust system for the welding area of the plant.
Firefighters found only some smoldering areas, which they knocked down. They also secured power to the area before turning the scene over to Crown maintenance workers.
The production floor of the factory was closed at the time of the fire in observance of Good Friday, leaving only maintenance workers and construction contractors in the plant.
Initially responding with Greencastle Engine No. 1, firefighters also called for the department's aerial truck. Newgent said this move aided the firefighters in inspecting the scene from the roof and also would have given them an elevated water source should the blaze have flared up again.