Fire at Tillsonburg, Ont., rubber factory destroys building, causes estimated $1M in damage

Fire crews are investigating a blaze thatdestroyed one building and two trailers at a rubber and fleet factory southeast of London, Ont., on Monday.

The firewas called in at 4:30 a.m. ET after a witness saw a tractor-trailer in flamesin front of the shared facilities between Legend Rubber Inc. and Legend Fleet Solutions in Tillsonburg, said Bayham fire chief Harry Baranik.

He said the fire spread to one building and a second trailer.

"The flames were probably 50 or 60 feet [15 to 18 metres]tall when we got here," said Baranik. "[The fire] was really rocking and rolling."

More than 50 firefighters from six departments helped extinguishthe fire around 9 a.m.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have reopened Talbot Line betweenElliot Roadand Green Line, which was blocked off while crews were tending to the fire.

The cause of the blazeis still under investigation, OPP said. They added there were no injuries or people reported missing.

Baranik said the facilities face approximately $1 million in damages.

Products, machinery destroyed

Brendan Church, chief marketing officer at Legend Fleet Solutions, said the fire destroyedone storage and recycling building, resulting in all of the products and machinery inside burning down.

"We're working with local authorities to try to get things safe to see how much we can clean up and get back to production," Church said.

The facilities' other two buildings are intact but crews are still assessing the damage, Church said. More than 150 employees at the companies are being asked to work from home.

Church said he hopes the companies can get back to work later this week.

Baranik said the fire department's investigation is still in itsearly stages. They plan to talk to witnesses and gather video surveillance from neighbouring buildings.