Fire at giant Apple plant in Phoenix suburb quickly controlled
May 26, 2015, 1:11 PM | Updated: 1:11 pm
MESA, Ariz. — A fire at a huge plant owned by tech giant Apple Inc. in the
Phoenix suburb of Mesa caused a section of the roof to collapse, but no one was
hurt.
Deputy Chief Forrest Smith of Mesa Fire and Rescue said Tuesday’s fire at the
1.3 million square foot plant was confined to a section of the roof over a
loading dock. He said the intense blaze may have been sparked by rooftop solar
panels.
Crews from Mesa and several other fire departments battled the blaze for 35
minutes before gaining control. A dozen workers were evacuated.
Apple bought the plant in 2013 to manufacture sapphire glass for its products.
That effort failed and the company announced in February that it would convert
the plant into a data center.