Smoking materials may be cause of Meijer Distribution Center fire in Tipp City

Smoking materials improperly discarded were discovered in the area where a fire started outside the Meijer Distribution Center in Tipp City on Wednesday night, firefighters said Thursday.

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Firefighters responded to the manufacturing facility on County Road 25-A around 7:45 p.m.

The fire started in an outside corner of the building, where dried plants, debris and other miscellaneous storage were found.

The fire spread to a truck dock overhang and a wall near where the fire started, but the situation was contained within 45 minutes, officials said.

A spokesman for Meijer described the fire as a “small one” and added that employees were evacuated. None was injured, he said.

Fire officials said a worker at the facility pulled the fire alarm when the flames were spotted.  The sprinkler system did not activate because the majority of the fire was located outside the building, firefighters said.