Equipment Malfunction Causes Fire at Indiana Brick FactoryEquipment Malfunction Causes Fire at Indiana Brick Factory

An equipment malfunction caused a fire Wednesday morning at the Brampton Brick production plant in Farmersburg, IN that forced workers to evacuate the facility and caused damage to some machinery, local news organizations reported. 

Crews from a number of area fire departments responded to the scene after the fire was reported at about 4 a.m. Workers noticed the blaze when they smelled smoke in an unoccupied automated grinding plant and storage area at the facility, according to coverage by the Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Staff evacuated the facility without incident. 

Officials believe the fire started accidentally due to a malfunction in a piece of shaker equipment, Thunder Fire Protection Territory Chief John Quilliam told the Sullivan Daily Times. A number of other reports said the fire was caused by an overheated conveyor belt. 

Firefighters put out the blaze in about five hours. Estimates were not available on the cost of damages. No injuries were logged during the incident. 

Brampton Brick is a manufacturer and supplier of bricks. The Farmersburg plant was built in 2008 and can produce 100 million modular bricks, according to the company’s website. 

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