Madras Packaging fire contained in ceiling

ARGOS — A stubborn ceiling fire at the Madras Packaging facility will halt production for nearly a week, as crews clean up from water and smoke damage. "But it could have been a lot worse," said Joe Carr, Madras Packaging vice president and general manager. "Argos, Plymouth, Culver and Rochester fire departments did a fantastic job." The four-alarm fire began during third shift shortly after 6 a.m. today when an electrical failure started a fire between the ceiling and the roof. Twenty employees safely evacuated the production area of the plant, where the fire started. Argos Fire Chief Mark Dean said the fire wasn’t large, but it was hard to get to. "We had to pull the metal ceiling down to get to the wood trusses," he said. Aerial trucks and firefighters from Plymouth and Culver and additional personnel from Rochester assisted in containing the fire to the ceiling. Firefighters were on scene nearly five hours. One firefighter received a minor injury when the metal burned through his glove, Dean said. He was treated at the scene and released. Madras Packaging is a plastic bottle and container manufacturer that employs 80 people. The plant is on Dewey Street on the south side of Argos. The plant has an annual production capacity of 450 million bottles for customers including Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Sunny Delight and many regional dairies. After firefighters left the scene, Carr said, damage and down time still was being estimated. An initial evaluation indicated holes in the roof, and smoke and water damage that would need to be cleaned from equipment. Staff writer Virginia Ransbottom: vransbottom@sbtinfo.com (574) 936-2920