May 15, 2017 at 5:19 p.m.
Retrospect: Fire hit Sheller plant
Retrospect: Fire hit Sheller plant
More than half a century ago, a fire consumed Sheller Manufacturing Corporation’s shipping warehouse, destroying more than 40,000 steering wheels and causing nearly a quarter of a million dollars in damage.
On May 17, 1962, a fire broke out inside the warehouse less than 30 minutes after it was inspected by an electrician and foreman, who had seen no sign of fire or smoke around 4 p.m. that day.
When firefighters arrived on the scene at 4:30 p.m., they were forced to wait 10 minutes for a parked train to move out of the way. By the time they were able to begin fighting the fire, it had already spread throughout the 40-foot by 200-foot warehouse at 119 S. Bridge St., Portland.
No workers were inside the building at the time the fire broke out, but some area residents sustained minor injuries while helping fight the inferno.
The extent of the damage from the fire meant that a definitive cause wasn’t able to be found, though Sheller officials guessed it was faulty wiring or a carelessly tossed cigarette.
The fire, which burned through the night, was fought by every fire department in Jay County, as well as Fort Recovery and Hartford City firefighters. By the time it was fully extinguished at 10 a.m. the next morning, losses were estimated around $225,000.
The fire broke out just as the general manager of the steering wheel division for Sheller Manufacturing, Paul Weitzman, arrived by plane in Portland from Chicago. Weitzman told The Commercial Review that the damage accounted for about four days worth of production at the plant, which churned out between 12,000 and 15,000 steering wheels a day, but that the company’s reserves would ensure no delay in filling orders.
Just three weeks before the fire, a Nickel Plate train crashed into a depot within sight of the warehouse, nearly killing two Portland residents.
On May 17, 1962, a fire broke out inside the warehouse less than 30 minutes after it was inspected by an electrician and foreman, who had seen no sign of fire or smoke around 4 p.m. that day.
When firefighters arrived on the scene at 4:30 p.m., they were forced to wait 10 minutes for a parked train to move out of the way. By the time they were able to begin fighting the fire, it had already spread throughout the 40-foot by 200-foot warehouse at 119 S. Bridge St., Portland.
No workers were inside the building at the time the fire broke out, but some area residents sustained minor injuries while helping fight the inferno.
The extent of the damage from the fire meant that a definitive cause wasn’t able to be found, though Sheller officials guessed it was faulty wiring or a carelessly tossed cigarette.
The fire, which burned through the night, was fought by every fire department in Jay County, as well as Fort Recovery and Hartford City firefighters. By the time it was fully extinguished at 10 a.m. the next morning, losses were estimated around $225,000.
The fire broke out just as the general manager of the steering wheel division for Sheller Manufacturing, Paul Weitzman, arrived by plane in Portland from Chicago. Weitzman told The Commercial Review that the damage accounted for about four days worth of production at the plant, which churned out between 12,000 and 15,000 steering wheels a day, but that the company’s reserves would ensure no delay in filling orders.
Just three weeks before the fire, a Nickel Plate train crashed into a depot within sight of the warehouse, nearly killing two Portland residents.
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