Athens firefighters extinguish large fire involving manufacturing equipment

ATHENS, Tenn. (WDEF) — A large fire broke out at Adler Pelzer Athens on Monday night, involving heavy equipment, the Athens Fire Department said.

Crews responded to the fire alarm just before 10 p.m. at 115 Industrial Way. The manager was aware of the fire and told firefighters they were evacuating the building.

As firefighters arrived, they noticed heavy smoke from the exterior of the building. Inside, they found a large fire that had activated the sprinkler system.

Off-duty firefighters also came to assist. Crews then cut off power from the Adler Pelzer building because there was manufacturing equipment involved in the fire.

Firefighters got the flames under control and ventilated the building. They then turned the incident over to Adler Pelzer’s maintenance department.

Athens Fire Chief Ainsworth said no one was injured in the fire.

He says if it weren’t for the firefighters’ quick response, company staff and the sprinkler system, the fire could have been much worse. “We would like to thank Athens Rural and Englewood Rural Fire Departments for being on standby, for the city, while our crews were occupied with the fire,” Chief Ainsworth added.