COLUMBUS, Ind.–The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched to a retail business on Wednesday afternoon to fight a fire in a cardboard compactor machine. Captain Mike Wilson of CFD says an employee was in the back of the OfficeMax store in Columbus Center when he noticed fire coming from inside the baler. He immediately notified coworkers to call 911. The man attempted to extinguish the flames with a nearby fire extinguisher until smoke became too dense.
Firefighters arrived a few moments later and were able to put out the blaze. Once the fire was under control, they removed the damaged cardboard from the compactor and began ventilating the smoke from the store.
Employees from two neighboring businesses, Dollar Tree and TJ Maxx, said they could smell the faint odor of smoke, but had not actually seen it inside their stores.
An electrical short from a motor inside the baler is thought to have ignited the cardboard, causing the fire. No injuries were reported, and damage was estimated at $1,000 and was confined only to the machine.