Schilling said he was headed to the molding area of the plant just before 7 a.m. when a forklift operator shouted that there was a fire at the loading dock in the paint area.

Schilling and his co-workers raced to the area with fire extinguishers but quickly realized the fire was continuing to grow. He then used the loud speaker to evacuate the building. “I was just thankful that everyone got out safe,” Schilling, a nine-year employee of the plant, said on Monday afternoon.

According to Schilling, the chemicals used in the paint shop were always handled with care because of the fire threat they posed. “All it takes is a rag being wiped on a piece of plastic to start a fire due to static electricity.”

Schilling said a fire was started in the same paint area two years ago when a robotic machine sliced open a wire. The fire was quickly contained to just one paint booth and extinguished by the Elwood Fire Department, he said. “This was much more intense,” he said, peering up at the charred plant.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by officials from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office. On Monday afternoon, the investigators combed the plant and its exterior surroundings, but no details of the fire’s origin were available.

Marla Durham, a group leader at the plant, said work at the facility could be dangerous, but was something each employee accepted. “It’s dangerous, but that’s the chance you take.”

Though the plant closure was imminent, some were still emotional about the fire on Monday. Anita Wilson worked at the plant since 1989, when it was still called Paint and Assembly Corporation. Plastech bought the property in 1999.

“I was in tears,” Wilson said, recounting her early morning ordeal. “I have worked here for so long and I knew I was going to be leaving. When I pulled in this morning, as far as I was concerned, it was going to be business as usual.”