Fire rips through Roseville facility, triggers evacuations and shelter-in-place alert

A fire tore through a 20,000-square-foot industrial building in Roseville Tuesday morning, prompting evacuations and a shelter-in-place order that lasted nearly two hours, officials said.

The second-alarm fire broke out around 10:20 a.m. at 15711 12 Mile Road, between Hayes Road and Groesbeck Highway, after a caller inside the building reported a “large boom,” said Roseville Fire Chief Keith Jacobs.

The facility is one of 13 operated by RCO Engineering Inc., a Michigan-based manufacturer serving the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries.

Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke billowing from the building and were unable to reach the seat of the fire, Jacobs told the Free Press. Concerns over possible hazardous chemicals inside also forced crews to pull back.

“We focused on evacuations … while we continued to try to get to the seat of the fire,” the fire chief said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to. So the fire spread throughout the entire building.”

Everyone inside was evacuated safely. Officials have not said how many people were in the building at the time.

Surrounding businesses southeast of the fire, downwind toward Groesbeck Highway, were also evacuated. Around noon, Macomb County issued a shelter-in-place alert for residents within a half-mile southeast of the site. The alert was lifted less than two hours later after air quality tests showed no immediate health risks.

The blaze was brought under control within three hours; the building sustained severe damage. However, no injuries were reported.

It’s currently unclear whether any chemicals inside the facility were affected by the fire; many were stored behind fire doors that may have kept them secure, Jacobs said. The shelter-in-place order was issued as a precaution.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy was notified to monitor water runoff from the scene.

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Operations at other RCO Engineering facilities were not affected.

“We want to reassure our partners and stakeholders that there is no impact to the rest of the RCO Engineering business operations or to our customers,” the company said, in part, in a statement on social media. “RCO Engineering remains operational, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and service.”

Fire departments from Eastpointe, Warren, St. Clair Shores, Clinton Township, Fraser, and Mt. Clemens assisted in the response.

“I believe our crews did an excellent job to contain this and protect the local businesses and the environment,” Jacobs said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Roseville facility fire forces evacuations, shuts down area for hours