GALION – Firefighters from seven area departments battled a fire at Flick Packaging Co., 340 South Columbus Street, shortly after 8:30 Thursday night.
The company’s cutting department, which is housed in one of five buildings on the property, was fully engulfed in flames when Galion firefighters first arrived on the scene with their ladder truck.
“We got the initial call that Flick’s is on fire,” Galion Fire Chief Phil Jackson said. “The fire is in the back, so it’s difficult to reach.
But I think we have it under control now,” he said about an hour later.
An adjacent office building and metal warehouse structure were not affected, but the company’s cut shop is primarily stocked with lumber, according to co-owner and CEO Erik Flick. “We were able to get some of the stuff out as necessary,” he said.
Flick’s wife, Emily Flick, said before the fire spread, they were able to salvage some forklifts and other equipment from the building. “That’s going to burn for a long time. There’s nothing but wood in there,” she said.
Smoke from the blaze, which billowed into the night sky, could be seen from the west side of Galion.
Mutual aid was provided by Bucyrus, Crestline, Shelby, Jefferson Township, Whetstone Township, and Ontario fire departments.
Jackson said Galion firefighters were initially hampered in getting enough water pumped in and controlling the pressure. “We’re trying to manage that now,” he said, “and all the departments were great in doing that so we could manage the fire.”
By 9:45 p.m., the smoke had died down, but plenty of onlookers were still crowding nearby streets and sidewalks. “The majority of the damage is done. We’re just trying to put out the hot spots right now,” Jackson said.
Flick Packaging, a family company that has been in business since the 1930s, makes wooden boxes, packing materials, and heavy-duty cargo containers used in this country and abroad.