Potentially catastrophic fires were contained at industries along Highway 11 in Laurel as firefighters responded to back-to-back calls on what was anything but an easy Sunday afternoon.

All of Laurel Fire Department’s trucks were dispatched to a paint booth/oven fire inside Howard Industries on Pendorff Road around noon. 

Upon arrival, firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from within the building, according to a press release from LFD Chief Leo Brown, and the fire was extinguished in about three hours. The cause is still under investigation. One Howard employee was treated for smoke inhalation by EMServ Ambulance Service, Brown said.

Just as they were clearing that scene, at around 5 p.m., the LFD responded to a call to put out a large fire behind B Clean off Don Curt Road near the fairgrounds in Laurel. A pile of pallets and wood chips caught on fire, and with windy conditions, the flames quickly began spreading and endangering the nearby woods. 

Calhoun and Pleasant Ridge volunteers assisted the LFD with that call. Firefighters worked together to put out the fire before that could happen as wind gusts reached nearly 30 mph throughout the day. No injuries were reported.

Volunteers from Powers and Shady Grove responded briefly to the scene of the Howard Industries fire to supply firefighters there with bottled water and Gatorade.

Calhoun and Powers volunteer fire departments were covering the city of Laurel to handle any calls that came in while the LFD was working that fire. 

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