Perry Fire responds to fire at Graphic Packaging, no injuries reported 

PERRY —  Perry Fire Department responded to a commercial fire at Graphic Packaging on Tuesday. 

According to Fire Chief Lee Parker, the call came in at 11:58 a.m. and crews were on scene five minutes later. 

It was reported as a structure fire, however, crews arriving on scene noticed light smoke on the roll-up doors near the loading docks. 

“It [happened near their] baling machine as they take their excess cardboard, get cut into strips and compacted like a bale of hay,” Parker said. 

Parker said his crew kept the fire from spreading with fire extinguishers. 

“We got there in five minutes, pulled a hose line and had the remainder of the fire extinguished pretty quickly,” he said. 

No injuries were reported and the only damage was to the baling machine. 

The cause of the fire is undetermined, however, Parker suggested simple friction or overheating may have been the culprit. 

He shared that his crews are prepared for any fire that comes their way, from a large facility such as Graphic Packaging, to a small house fire. 

“They do training to prepare them for anything and they are always ready,” he said. “They got there quickly, did a great job and I’m proud of all of them.” 

Parker said the Perry Fire Department and Graphic Packaging have a good relationship. Every department member has an opportunity to walk through their doors once a year. 

“[Graphic Packaging] does a good job in opening their building to us and giving us a good tour so we know what we’re getting into should something like that happen,” he said. “That’s what I like to call a community working together, and we’re very proud to have that relationship with them.”