Fire prompts early spring break for DeKalb schools

No injuries were reported in the fire that destroyed sections of the 244,000-square foot building.

A county dispatcher said no flames were visible outside the automobile chassis parts distribution center after daylight. Firefighters from at least three districts were called to the scene.

Firefighters used a track hoe to knock out a wall in the building, which is equipped with a sprinkler system.

“We’re trying to keep the fire within the warehouse area,” Cookeville Fire Capt. John Kendrick told the Cookeville Herald Citizen. “The sprinkler system has helped, but there is a lot of smoke and there are a lot of combustible products that keep the fire fueled.”

Laura Vultaggio, a spokeswoman for the Southfield, Mich.-based company, said about 40 employees were in the building when the fire started just after midnight. She said the cause was not known and there was no timetable for the 225 employees to resume operations.

Vultaggio said a Federal Mogul manufacturing plant in Smithville was not affected.

DeKalb County schools spokeswoman Teresa Miller said fighting the fire lowered water pressure, prompting officials to dismiss all classes. She said the water pressure was needed for cooking and restrooms.

Miller said the 2,600 students at the county’s five schools were starting spring break on Monday.