Public Safety

February 11. 2013 1:58PM

Fire causes $25,000 in damage to Auburn painting business

By BRENDAN CLOGSTON
Union Leader Correspondent

AUBURN — Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at ARC Electrostatic Painting at 31 Bunker Hill Road in Auburn on Monday. Auburn Fire Chief Bruce Phillips said the fire, in a storage unit attached to a building used by the company for sandblasting, was started by a portable space heater which was too close to combustible materials. Firefighters from Auburn, Chester, Derry and Londonderry responded to the fire. (DAVE LANE/UNION LEADER)

AUBURN— A fire at a local business in Auburn caused approximately $25,000 in damage, but nobody was injured.

The Auburn Fire Department received a report of a fire near a sandblasting machine at the A RC Electrostatic Painting facility on 31 Bunker Hill Road in Auburn just before 12:30 p.m. on Monday.

About 25 firefighters from Auburn, Derry, Londonderry and Chester responded to the fire minutes later, with Manchester and Hampstead covering their stations. The fire was under control about 20 minutes later, and the scene was secured just before 1:30 p.m.

The fire was largely localized in a storage room next door to the sandblasting booth. Firefighters believe an electric torpedo heater positioned too close to combustibles sparked the fire.

"It was human error," said Auburn Fire Chief Bruce Phillips. "We're ruling it accidental."

The damage was limited to the storage units and, to a lesser degree, the sandblasting booth.