La-Z-Boy fire burns items, building OK

Investigators believe a plant fire in Dayton, Tenn., that took about 52 emergency workers to extinguish was caused by boxes stacked too close to space heaters.

Some items in the La-Z-Boy of Tennessee warehouse burned, but the facility's structure appears to have escaped damage thanks to the quick help of several agencies that responded to the fire alarm, said Dayton Fire Department Chief Chuck Suttles.

"All these volunteer people came to Dayton, Tenn., to help us out," he said. "I'm just so grateful to them."

The Dayton Fire Department responded to a call early Sunday morning that the La-Z-Boy plant had flames rising from a section of the 1.2 million square foot facility, Chief Suttles said.

When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was pouring from the human resources building, and smoke and steam were coming from the fabric department, he said.

The factory was up and running by Monday, and no one was injured in the incident, said Janet Earnhardt, La-Z-Boy of Tennessee spokeswoman.

"We're making sure all safety proceedings are fixed," she said.

As a member of the Tri-State Mutual Aid Association, the Dayton Fire Department was able to call for additional help from nearby areas. Fire departments from Graysville, Sales Creek and as far away as Soddy-Daisy and Hamilton County Emergency Services responded, Chief Suttles said.

"That's a huge facility and it's difficult for one agency to deal with," he said.

Forty minutes after firefighters arrived, the flames were out, Chief Suttles said.