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Deliveries to 16 ZIP codes affected by fire at UPS facility in Athens, Tenn.

A UPS driver unloads packages from a truck and arranges them for delivery in New York. Following a large fire at its Athens, Tenn., facility on Dec. 3, 2024, UPS has put a contingency plan in place to restore deliveries and pickups in the 16 affected ZIP codes in McMinn and surrounding counties. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) A UPS driver unloads packages from a truck and arranges them for delivery in New York. Following a large fire at its Athens, Tenn., facility on Dec. 3, 2024, UPS has put a contingency plan in place to restore deliveries and pickups in the 16 affected ZIP codes in McMinn and surrounding counties. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

By Ben Benton December 5, 2024 2 min read

Fire damage at a UPS facility in Athens, Tennessee, from a blaze that broke out late Tuesday will temporarily affect customers in 16 Tennessee postal codes in McMinn and surrounding counties, according to a company statement.

The fire that engulfed the structure caused heavy damage to the building and 24 UPS trucks, according to a statement from Brandon Ainsworth, the fire chief in Athens. Two people inside the building when the fire began made it out safely, and there were no injuries reported.

There were no pickups or deliveries on Wednesday in the affected areas that include McMinn, Meigs, Monroe and Loudon counties, as well as the Spring City, Watts Bar Dam and Grandview Mountain areas of Bledsoe, Rhea and Cumberland counties, the company said in a statement issued Wednesday.