Fire at Daimler Freightliner

Published 9:29 pm Friday, May 26, 2023

(This story has been updated.)

CLEVELAND — A fire broke out at the Daimler Freightliner factory in Cleveland Friday evening.

According to the Cleveland Community Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kenny Payne, his crews were dispatched around 7:30 p.m. to the facility that is located at 11550 Statesville Boulevard.

A material rack adjacent to the structure became fully involved and threatened a structure on the premises.

No one was reportedly injured during the blaze, but damage was incurred to the facility.

“It got inside and buckled the corrugated metal siding,” Payne said. “It got inside and started burning the roof, which was above the sprinkler system. It has a rubber-impregnated type roof, so we were worried about it getting under there … the guys got up there and got it stopped.”

According to the chief, the situation could have been a lot worse.

“There were some propane tanks in the rack area that [the fire] didn’t get to,” Payne said.
While it wasn’t the largest fire Payne had seen, he remarked that it was big.

“I believe everybody in the county could see the smoke,” Payne said. “It was unreal.”

Crews continued to battle the blaze for a few hours. The chief indicated that the last trucks got out of there at about midnight.

Details surrounding the cause of the fire remain unclear. The story will be updated if new information is made available.