A large fire at a wooden pallet company in East St. Louis destroyed a warehouse and temporarily idled 33 workers.
East St. Louis firefighters were called to First Source Pallets Inc., 2001 Broadway, after the fire broke out between 6 and 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
The fire started in a secondary building and spread, destroying a 30,000-square-foot warehouse.
East St. Louis Fire Chief William Fennoy said the cause was unknown. Hours after the fire was under control, fire crews were still working on hot spots among the burned pallets.
Despite the damage, president and co-owner Steve Wilson said he expected by Friday to have all of his 33 workers back on the job and again shipping pallets.
The fire started before the company's first shift reported to work at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, so the business was vacant and no injuries were reported. The second shift ended work at 2 a.m.
About a month ago the business had another, smaller fire that started in the same area but was outside, Wilson said. He said the cause of that fire is still unknown.
Wilson said he was insured. The business is eight years old and has been at the Broadway location for four years.
The company sells wooden pallets on which goods are stacked so they can be moved with a forklift.
