Oct 6, 2008 9:37 pm US/Eastern
Fire Reported At NH's Anheuser-Busch Plant
MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) ―
Firefighters from Merrimack and Nashua brought a small fire inside a piece of machinery under control Monday at the
Anheuser-Busch plant.
Employees were evacuated and no one was hurt.
The fire department was called just after 3:30 p.m. when a cardboard
compactor and bailer caught fire, according to Merrimack Fire Lt. Ron Hansen.
Hansen said the plant has a conveyor system that runs throughout the complex where cardboard can be dumped and carried to a room where it is compacted and then packaged before being shipped offsite.
He said investigators believe cardboard became jammed in the machine and cause motors to overheat and eventually catch fire.
Crews eventually made their way into the room and were able to extinguish the fire, containing it to the machinery itself, Hansen said.
No one was injured and damage to the building was minimal, according to John Mills, the plant's manager.
Beer production wasn't affected and employees returned to work later Monday evening. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.
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