An industrial oven used to cure coated automotive parts was identified as the cause of a fire in a former carpet mill building in Worcester, Mass.
The five-alarm fire was believed to have started in the basement of the former Bigelow Carpet Co. factory on June 22. MR Finishing Co., one of several tenants in the building, used the oven in its operations, according to telegram.com, a local media outlet.
The fire affected timbers between the first floor and basement within the building, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The risks posed by the old building as well as the difficulty reaching the fire were reasons cited for the wide community response.
According to telegram.com, unidentified chemicals were found above the fire in the finishing company. The state Hazardous Materials Response team was called in to assess the materials.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental, according to the fire marshal’s report. Damage is estimated at $250,000.
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