A fire this morning on a production line at the Cooper plant on North Main Street, Bowling Green, has closed down that line.
Most fires at Cooper are handled by the company fire brigade, said BG Fire Captain Dave Hagemeyer. So when the call came in this morning around 11, Hagemeyer knew it was serious.
“They have a good fire brigade,” he said. “So generally when we get a call for a fire there, that means they can’t handle it.”
Bowling Green Fire Division responded with two engines and its aerial truck. When they arrived on the scene, the fire was fully involved with heavy smoke coming from the stack. Employees had already been evacuated from the building.
The production line on fire was located on the east side of the building, near the company entrance, which made it easier for firefighters to access the site and put water on it. The aerial truck was used to get access to the roof, where firefighters ventilated the area, Hagemeyer said. Firefighters remained on the scene about 90 minutes.
Hagemeyer said he expected the company to be back in operation soon. “I think they’ll be in production today.”
A couple Cooper employees were treated at the scene for possible smoke inhalation, but were not transported to the hospital.
The BG fire division was assisted with automatic aid by Middleton Township Fire Department, which sent two engines to the scene. Ambulance 120 also responded.
During the fire at Cooper, an EMS call came in that Bowling Green had to transfer to Middleton Township EMS.
“We were stretched pretty thin right then,” Hagemeyer said. “We really appreciated the help.”
