April 18--DURHAM -- A printing press was heavily damaged early Friday when large rolls of paper caught fire at a business in southern Durham and forced a midnight evacuation of 41 employees, fire officials said.
No one was hurt.
Firefighters were called at midnight to Valassis, a commercial printing company at 4918 Prospectus Drive in southern Durham near N.C. 54, and saw smoke pouring from a roll-up door, Deputy Chief Chris Iannuzzi of the Durham Fire Department said.
The building's sprinkler system activated, but the fire in the press continued to burn, he said.
Iannuzzi said firefighters had a hard time finding the press due to limited visibility in the 80,000-square-foot facility. It took about 40 minutes to locate the fire and bring it under control, and "a while longer" to gain full access to the interior of the press and fully extinguish the flames.
The cause is being investigated, but Iannuzzi said it apparently started in large rolls of paper inside the press. He said the fire appeared to be an accident related to equipment.
Parts of the building also sustained smoke and water damage, Iannuzzi said.
Thirty-one firefighters responded to the call, including some from the Parkwood Fire Department. Units were on the scene for three hours.
A spokeswoman at the plant said business resumed later Friday morning. The company's headquarters are in Livonia, Mich.
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