JR destroyed

FORT RECOVERY — A local manufacturer’s facility was destroyed by a fire Saturday night.

A massive fire broke out Saturday at JR Manufacturing in Fort Recovery, destroying its facility at 900 Industrial Drive.

Southwest Mercer Fire District firefighters were called to the scene at 5:17 p.m. Saturday. As of 10 p.m., the facility was still surrounded by firefighters from all around the area with tanker trucks constantly shuttling water to help fight the flames. Smoke pouring from the structure could be seen from miles in the way, even after the sun had set.

“It was a real shocker for us,” said Steve Pearson, fire chief at Southwest Mercer Fire District.

More than a dozen fire departments were called in to assist in fighting the fire. Among those on scene Saturday night were Portland, Salamonia and Union City from Indiana and Versailles, St. Henry, Chattanooga, Celina, Coldwater, Rossburg and Burkettsville from Ohio. At about 9:30 p.m., there was enough manpower to fight the fire but calls continued to go out for more tankers to help bring water to the site.



Several departments were still on scene the next morning, with Southwest Mercer Fire District staying until about 6 a.m. Sunday.

Smoke could be seen again drifting out of the eastern portion of the former corporate office about 3:30 p.m. Monday. Debris spilled from the charred exterior into the southern parking lot, and the smell of ash wafted through the air along Industrial Drive.

Four employees were at the facility Saturday when the fire broke out, explained Pearson. They safely evacuated and alerted emergency personnel. No injuries were reported.

As of Monday afternoon, local officials were still unsure how or where the fire started, although Pearson said they believe it began on the north side of the building. He noted the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s office is handling the investigation and sought neighboring security camera footage of the accident.

JR Manufacturing’s management team posted a statement to its Facebook page at 3:26 p.m. Sunday.

“JR Manufacturing is devastated by the loss of our corporate office due to an industrial fire,” it said. “First and foremost, we are grateful that our team members were able to safely evacuate the facility. Additionally, we are thankful that all first responders remained safe. We want to issue our heartfelt thank you to all the first responders and community members who answered our call for help on Saturday.”

All JR Manufacturing business previously conducted at the destroyed building has been redirected to another facility at 1201 Industrial Drive.

JR Manufacturing has more than 500 employees between its Fort Recovery location and sites in Tennessee and Mexico. The company makes a variety of products with a focus on headrests and seat frames for the automotive industry.

It was founded by Jeff Roessner in 1998 and sold to the LeFevre family in 2003.

During the 13-hour fire, folks from as far as Celina dropped off pizzas, drinks and snacks for firefighters as they battled the flames.

“We had a lot of people donating food, water and gatorade, and that’s greatly appreciated,” said Pearson. “It was a nice gesture from the people who weren’t directly contacted.”

Ohio 49, Ohio 119, Industrial Drive Sharpsburg Road, Fox Road, St. Peters Road and Fort Recovery Minster Road were all subject to road closures to help clear the way for firefighters.