A large fire was extinguished Feb. 26 at automotive parts supplier U.S. Farathane LLC in Auburn Hills, Mich., a Detroit suburb. No injuries were reported.
The fire, which sent massive clouds of black smoke into the sky, broke out in an outdoor storage area behind the building, according to local television station WXYZ Detroit. Fire officials told the station the fire was limited to plastic containers storing cardboard and that there was no damage to the building.
The Auburn Hills Fire Department was joined on the scene by neighboring fire crews in Troy, Waterford and Rochester.
A phone operator at U.S. Farathane told Plastics News earlier that the situation was “still chaotic” and no official comment could be made at this. All employees were evacuated shortly after.
Injection molder U.S. Farathane supplies interior and exterior plastic components to automakers including General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and FCA US LLC. The company ranks No. 6 on Plastics News' annual listing of North American injection molders, with 2017 global sales estimated at $830 million.
U.S. Farathane, owned by private equity firm Gores Group based in Los Angeles, was also PN's 2005 Processor of the Year. It employs more than 4,400 workers across 16 manufacturing facilities globally.