Large Blaze Destroys Florida Paper Plant

A large fire destroyed a Hialeah paper manufacturer Tuesday morning, forcing an entire block of businesses to be evacuated for more than an hour and a nearby railroad track to temporarily suspend operations.

Hialeah police spokesman Frank Gonzalez said firefighters had the blaze under control by 11 a.m. and no one was injured.

A roll of paper at the factory, 6860 NW 37th Ct., caught on fire at 9:51 a.m., police said. The name of the business was not immediately available.

Dozens of firefighters from Hialeah and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue battled the blaze -- from the ground and from aerial trucks -- for more than an hour, as thick black smoke billowed into the air. The smoke was visible over parts of Northwest Dade.

As a precaution, police evacuated nearby businesses in the industrial warehouse area, fearing that the fire may spread.

Sonia Gutierrez was one of the workers evacuated from nearby Custom Creations Sportwear.

''Police came to the factory and said we had to leave,'' Gutierrez said. ''I ran out so fast.''

Service on a nearby railroad was temporarily interrupted because firefighters needed to use nearby fire hydrants, Hialeah police spokesman Jose Caragol said.