WILLOUGHBY, Ohio — Over a dozen fire departments responded to an industrial fire at a scrap business on Ben Hur Avenue, near Vine Street and Route 2 in
Willoughby, on Thursday morning.
The three-alarm fire was first reported when a Willoughby police officer responded to a burglar alarm at about 3:30 a.m. and saw a large amount of smoke coming from the building, according to Willoughby Fire Chief Todd Unger. Fire crews responded within about six minutes and began a defensive attack on the fire from outside the large warehouse building.
The building is used for a scrap business that had a variety of materials inside, including propane tanks, plastics and flammable metals, Unger said.
A firewall protected a large portion of the building, and some fire crews made a stand against the fire around the office area, the fire chief said.
The high wind on Thursday morning affected efforts to fight the fire.
"Firefighters that are on the downwind side are taking a beating with the amount of smoke," Unger said. "The firefighters on the upwind side are in completely clear conditions."
At least a dozen fire departments from Lake, Geauga and Cuyahoga counties responded.
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