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Oct. 02--The fire at Electrolux Saturday that caused a portion of Veterans Drive to temporarily be closed was caused by a malfunctioning piece of machinery, according to the St. Cloud Fire Department.
Firefighters were called to the factory shortly before 11 p.m. to deal with a fire caused by a malfunctioning commercial compactor. Electrolux employees had apparently been fighting the flames themselves for nearly an hour before finally calling the fire department, Battalion Chief Greg Newinski said.
"It was a mechanical problem," Newinski said." Something to do with the hydraulics possibly, but they were not sure."
Employees used buckets of water, fire extinguishers and water hoses on the fire until firefighters arrived on scene. Newinski said that the fire department was on scene for about an hour. There was no noticeable damage to the building or any machinery.
"There was no monetary damage to anything that burned ... it was recyclable cardboard that was burned," Newinski said. "It doesn't appear that the machine sustained any damage."
Newinski stressed that anytime a fire occurs, people should call the fire department immediately rather than taking matters into their own hands.
"We want people to call us to put out fires," Newinski said.
No one was hurt during the incident and the stretch of Veterans Drive that was closed Saturday evening -- between 33rd Avenue and 35th Avenue North -- has since been reopened.
