Kordsa officials appear unfazed by the frequency of fires at the Laurel Hill Plant following Wednesday's blaze.

There is no unnecessary safety risk caused by these frequent fires, Darrel Schmidt, plant finance manager.

"We pass fire inspections every year," Schmidt said. "It's just a small fire that happened."

Kordsa does not yet have estimated for the damages, according to Schmidt. He said the plant "should be back online in no time" after the "little fire."

The plant employes 142 people at its Armstrong Road locations. It produces tire cord fabric.

There have been 27 fires at Kordsa, USA since March 9, 1981 – close to one fire a year – nearly all of which started from the ignition of residue that had built up in the plant's vertical ovens, according to Laurel Hill Fire Chief Clyde Locklear. A fire in 2008 left a firefighter injured.

"I wish we didn't have that many," Locklear said about the Kordsa fires.

The frequency of fire at Kordsa is well beyond that of any other plant in Laurel Hill, Locklear said, with the fire chief being unable to remember more than one or two fires at nearby industrial facilities.

The severity for the fires have varied, with Wednesday's blaze being relatively contained compared to some that have destroyed outside walls and shot flames out windows, Locklear said. One firefighter was seriously injured in a Sept 18, 2008 fire at the facility, sending him to the burn unit at UNC-Chapel Hill for two months.

This fire is not the first since the fireman was injured. There was also a fire on Oct. 20, 2008 – just a month after the blaze that seriously burned Laurel Hill fireman Danny Cofell, Jr.

Cofell, now 16 months from the blaze the gave third degree burns to his hands and lungs, is still recovering from his wounds.

"I have already had eight surgeries," Cofell said. "I have a couple more to go. I am still in rehab."

He declined to comment on Wednesday's blaze.

Cofell has been the only firefighter injured at the Laurel Hill plant, Locklear said. He did not know if any employees may have been injured in past incidents, but does not recall the need to transport any employee to the hospital at any of the fires he's helped fight.

The Laurel Hill fire chief did not know if preventive measures could quell the frequent fires.

"I really don't know if there is a whole lot they can do to prevent it," Lockelar said. "I don't know if more frequent cleaning of the oven can prevent it."

The fires at Kordsa are more difficult for firefighters to face than ordinary house fires, according to the fire chief.

"It's hard to fight the fire in there because you don't have all that access to the fire," Locklear said.

The fire is often contained primarily in the oven, making it harder for firemen to access the situation while most fires are easy to evaluate as they can pinpoint where the fire and smoke is coming from before they open the front door.

This is compounded by the fact that firefighters have to climb 13 flights of stairs to get to the roof, where the fire often spreads from the oven.

The fire on Wednesday was no exception.

Locklear was among those to scale the stairs and fight the fire at some of the highest points in the building.

He said he believed the fire began on the 12th floor of the building, outside the oven, and spread primarily in the oven.

A Kordsa employee approached Locklear and told the fire chief he had initially attempted to fight the blaze himself with a garden hose before calling the fire department.

Locklear said Kordsa has contributed to the volunteer fire department in the past, aiding with the repair of a vehicle and acting as one of several industrial donors to the station's purchase of thermal imagining equipment.

He seldom approaches local industries for funds, however, as much of the fire station's budget comes from the Scotland County taxpayers.

The Scotland County fire inspector could not be reached for comment.

The last safety inspection of the Laurel Hill plant was in 2003, when inspectors found six non-serious violations in a planned inspection, according to Neal O'Briant, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Labor

The inspection before that was in 2000, when officials found eight serious violations and gave the plant a penalty of $8,138, according to O'Briant.

Kordsa Global is the world's leading producer of nylon and polyester yarns, cord fabric, and single end cord and provides services to the tire reinforcement and mechanical rubber goods markets.

The company is based in Instanbul, Turkey.