Transformer fire contained on Licking Road

ZANESVILLE - A fire at Casting Solutions caused by an electric transformer was contained within 30 minutes Thursday morning, according to Falls Township Fire Chief Brady Johnson.

Emergency crews were dispatched at 8:45 a.m. to the call on Licking Road. The initial report was of a piece of machinery on fire in the foundry.

Crews with the Falls Township and the Zanesville Fire Department were on scene by 8:55 a.m. and fought the flames for about a half-hour, Brady said. The Muskingum County Sheriff's Office closed down about a quarter-mile stretch of the road during the call.

After workers at the foundry discovered the fire, Casting Solutions activated their emergency procedures; American Electric Power shut down the power so that firefighters could extinguish the flames, using about 500 gallons of water and foam, Brady said.

Though other nearby materials also caught fire, no damage was reported to the building and no one was injured, Brady said.

Mineral oil was released from the transformer, but crews contained it within the facility, Brady said, adding that nearby residents are in no danger after the minor spill.

The Muskingum County Emergency Management Agency was on scene to help with cleanup of the spill.

Falls Township also radioed crews with Newton Township, Dresden and National Trials for mutual aid. All three volunteer fire departments remained on standby at Falls Township's station about a mile and a half down the road.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.