Apex Urethane Millwork was back to normal manufacturing operations and running at full capacity May 12, following a May 6 fire that caused an estimated $1.3 million in damage, according to Michael Sampere Jr., chief operating officer of the Red Lion-based company.
Apex Urethane Millwork, which claims to be the largest U.S. urethane millwork manufacturing facility, was forced to stop operating for four days after the fire, which started in or near a dust-collection system and forced the evacuation of all staff from the 440,000-square-foot facility.
Neither the origin nor cause of the fire have been determined, Sampere said in a May 14 announcement. The state fire marshal, along with the firm's insurance fire forensics professionals, is investigating, he said.
Sampere thanked his staff for their help in cleanup and reorganizational efforts the day after the fire. Just 25 hours after the start of the fire, ``our employees had the entire facility cleaned of all debris on all floors affected,'' he said. An immediate restart was impossible because of the need to completely dry all electrical panels and conduits, he added. These had been soaked with water by the multiple fire departments responding to the alarm.
Damage was contained to about 15,000 square feet of the site. Sampere assured customers the firm's standard five-day shipping schedules would be back within a week.
The company makes milled trim parts in polyurethane, for decorative architectural uses, for example as interior and exterior window surrounds, fireplace moldings, and to customize stairways, in residential and other buildings.