60 firefighters get fire at Cornelius foam plant under control

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Investigators are trying to figure out what started a fire that broke out at a Cornelius foam plant Tuesday morning.

More than 60 firefighters were called to the Foamex plant, near the intersection of Old Statesville Road and Bailey Road, at about 8:30 a.m. Both roads were closed while firefighters put out the flames.

Cornelius police officers directed traffic and first responders, telling drivers to avoid the area and plan for delays.

Just after 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, police said crews had contained the fire and the roads reopened not long afterward.

Foamex makes several products that range from mattresses to electronics. A firefighter told Channel 9′s Anthony Kustura the fire didn’t involve any chemicals, so there are no concerns about harmful fumes. Still, people in the area said they were startled when they saw all the commotion.

“A lot of smoke. The fire department wasn’t here yet so I was a little concerned and I didn’t know if the building was going to blow up or not,” witness Mike Tijerina said. “But the fire department started showing up and that was a good sign.”

The Cornelius, Huntersville, Davidson & Charlotte Fire departments all responded. The Cornelius Police Department said it was not aware of anyone who had been hurt in the incident.

There was no information immediately available on how much property was damaged.

Just last week, the company’s warehouse in California exploded. It sent flames and smoke into the air when some of the foam caught fire. Channel 9 has asked what started Tuesday’s fire.

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