Worker hurt escaping Roseville factory fire

Roseville — A welder was rushed to the hospital after escaping from an underground pit of flames Tuesday morning in an auto factory.

Interim Fire Chief Michael Holland said a fire broke out at about 11:40 a.m. while workers were welding items on a conveyor belt in a 30-foot-long pit at AZ Automotive Corporation on the 15200 block of Common.

The blaze blocked the escape for the worker in the pit as his coworkers tried to extinguish the fire while others called 911. Roseville firefighters arrived less than five minutes later to find that the man had managed to bolt through the flames.

The man was taken to St. John Macomb Hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation. His injuries are considered non-life threatening. Two others were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Holland said initial reports indicate there were massive quantities of oil in the pit, which could have started the fire. There were also other hazardous materials including gasoline.

"This was truly one of the worst kind of fires you can have," Holland said. "You have a fire in an industrial factory, a man trapped in a confined space and a building filled with hazardous materials."

Holland said the fire burned about 5 percent of building. It was extinguished in about 35 minutes.

By Tony Briscoe
From The Detroit News:

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