GREENVILLE, S.C. (Jan. 14, 2005) — A tornado sparked a fire at a TNT Logistics distribution center housing tires for Michelin North America Inc. in Laurens County, S.C.
The tornado touched down at the warehouse at about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13, causing the fire, the tire maker said. According to a Michelin statement, the fire was brought under control overnight. About 35 TNT employees were on site at the time, and they had sought cover from the tornado following an alarm. One employee was treated and released after suffering minor injuries during evacuation.
TNT Logistics owns and operates the facility, and the company provides distribution and warehousing services for Michelin.
The tire maker said Jan. 14 that the fire remains under control, and firefighters are on site to extinguish it. About 25 local residents had been evacuated but have since been allowed to return home.
To ensure continued delivery, Michelin said it and TNT are focused on three objectives: conduct an assessment of the tires affected, communicate with customers about supply impacts and re-source tires from Michelin's distribution network.
A Michelin spokesman said it is not clear how many tires were in the 1.2 million-sq.-ft. warehouse at the time or how many were affected.