Fire at Astro Shapes causes minor damage

Fire at Astro Shapes causes minor damage

The cause of the fire, which was confined to the bake oven and some vent ducts, remains undetermined.

STRUTHERS — Damage from a fire Thursday morning in the Astro Shapes paint department was relatively minor, and the company expected the unit to be back in operation by midnight that day.

Some 100 employees working when the fire broke out shortly before 7 a.m. escaped without suffering injuries. Neither were any firefighters hurt while extinguishing the blaze, said fire Chief Harold Milligan Jr.

Struthers firefighters were aided by the Western Reserve Fire District’s ladder truck, which was needed to get on the roof of the building where firefighters cut out sections of large vent ducts that were burning inside.

Milligan said the fire, reported at 6:53 a.m., started in the bake oven, where extruded aluminum products are dried after being painted. The cause of the fire, which was confined to the bake oven and some vent ducts, is undetermined, as is the amount of damage, Milligan said.

Struthers Firefighter Gary Mudryk said that when firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke and flames were coming from the roof of the building, which is located at 65 Main St. in the city’s downtown.

A company spokesman said Astro’s sprinkler system kicked in and helped prevent more extensive damage. He said repairs involve mainly sheet metal work.

Astro Shapes makes extrusions for the building and construction markets. According to its Web site, as of 2006, it had 420 employees.