Administrators with Specialty Fabrics & Converting, a subsidiary of Goodyear, shut down the manufacturing plant in Porterdale after a machine fire caused employees to evacuate the building Friday morning.
According to Newton County Fire Chief Mike Satterfield, around 11 a.m., a machine that applies silicone to yarn used to make fan and pulley belts caught on fire. Officials believe debris may have entered the machine, which can reach temperatures upwards of 500 degrees.
The fire was contained to the machine, although the building sustained smoke damage. No one was injured in the blaze.
Satterfield said officials hoped to have operations up and running by Saturday.
