Cause of Volkswagen Plant Fire is under investigation
CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – Chattanooga’s Volkswagen plant was evacuated this morning during a fire in the body shop.
A conveyor belt caught fire in a confined space.
The machinery in the area was very hot at the time.
Volkswagen’s own Fire Department plus the Chattanooga Fire department fought heavy smoke and the flames.
The sprinklers helped suppress it.
They got it under control in about half an hour.
The cleanup took much longer and operations have been shut down for the rest of the day.
Seven workers were treated for minor smoke inhalation, but no one else was injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“These types of fires are extremely dangerous. Life hazard is our primary concern with so many employees working there. We rely heavily on Volkswagen’s team for accountability and they do a great job with that,” said Fire Chief Phil Hyman. “Time is everything for us in these situations so having an on-site fire department is a huge help. Our relationship with VW is strong and we worked very well together.”
Actual footage of the Volkswagen plant fire shared with me by an employee. This fire resulted in the evacuation of over 4,000 workers from this massive 4+ million square foot plant. Watch my live report at 5:30 & 6!@wdefnews12 pic.twitter.com/QI6qsNVLSg
— Andy Santoro (@andysantorotv) July 13, 2021
