BOWDON, Ga. (Nov. 19, 2008) — The cause of an early morning blaze Nov. 16 that essentially destroyed the Carlisle Tire and Wheel Co. tire plant in Bowdon still is under investigation.
The 250,000-sq.-ft. facility employed about 320 and manufactured solid tire and wheel assemblies for use in lawn and garden and agriculture equipment.
Firefighters from the Carroll County and Carrollton, Ga., fire departments were called to the scene about 1:40 a.m. It took them 24 hours to bring the fire under control, according to Fire Chief Gary Thomas of the Carroll County Fire Rescue, who said there was only a security guard on site at the time and he called the fire department.
The NRT said it will work alongside state and local investigators in reconstructing the scene, identifying the origin of the fire, conducting interviews and sifting through debris.
A Carlisle Tire spokeswoman said the company has not determined the status of the employees or whether it will rebuild the plant.