Three workers on the roof of the former Kellogg cereal plant had to be lifted to safety via ladder truck after a brief fire at the facility Tuesday afternoon.
“It was a good operation,” said assistant deputy fire chief Dave Walmsley. He did not have a damage estimate at hand.
Two employees inside were treated for smoke inhalation.
The workers were rescued from the roof of the sprawling building, which opened in 1913 as a cereal-making operation and closed in 2014. It’s now being converted into an indoor entertainment park.
According to Walmsley, the three men were doing some work on an industrial air filter when the fire was started. “There was some sparking,” he said.
The ladder had to extend about 45 feet to reach the trio.
Londoner Shannan Taylor was visiting her aunt on King Street and noticed the resulting smoke, which quickly turned from grey to black. She called 911.
Walmsley said fire crews arrived on scene about 4 p.m. and it took roughly 20 minutes to knock the fire down.
Walmsley said some of that time was eaten up navigating the interior of the building, parts of which are being converted for entertainment use under the banner of The Factory.
There was a rubbery smell in the air, Taylor said. “They were here pretty quick,” she said of the firefighter response. “We watched (the smoke) for a couple seconds,” before making the call, she added.
Taylor went to the front of the building to inform employees inside the fire department was on scene.
Link to article: Three workers rescued from roof of former Kellogg plant
London Free Press