Blaze in Industrial Paper Shredder Doused in Lawrence

Lawrence Township career and volunteer firefighters extinguished a blaze in an industrial-sized paper shredding machine at a document management business in the 600 block of Whitehead Road this morning (Thursday, Feb. 23).

The fire at the Cintas Document Management facility was reported about 10:50 a.m.

Slackwood Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Michael Oakley said the flames were contained to the contents of the paper shredding machine and the blaze was extinguished within minutes of the arrival of firefighters. Smoke that filled the building was quickly cleared out by opening doors and using fans.

He said it is believed that a stray piece of metal, mixed in with the paper being shredded, caused a spark that ignited the paper dust and scraps inside the machine.

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Firefighters also responded to the facility Wednesday evening (Feb. 22) to extinguish a fire that was discovered smoldering in piles of paper packed into the rear of a Cintas box truck.