
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 25, 1995                   TAG: 9503270034
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

DUST FIRE DAMAGES FEDERAL MOGUL PLANT

A morning fire at Federal Mogul Corp. caused about $2,500 in damage and sent one person to the hospital, a fire official said.

Blacksburg Fire Chief Keith Bolte said the fire started at 7:42 a.m. when a spark ignited aluminum dust in a hopper inside the plant. The equipment was damaged. Firefighters removed the dust and covered it with sand outside the plant to extinguish the blaze.

Greg Czaplicki, plant controller, said an outside contractor doing renovation work was grinding steel when sparks from his operation started the blaze. The contractor, Jeff Creed, tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, but he suffered smoke inhalation. He was treated at Montgomery Regional Hospital and released.

Czaplicki said the plant was evacuated as a standard procedure and production was halted for an hour to 90 minutes while the smoke was in the plant.

by CNB