Fenton business damaged in Sunday morning fire

Acument Global Technologies’ North American Technical and Processing Center in Fenton was damaged by fire Sunday morning,

    Fenton Fire Chief Robert Cairnduff said his department responded to the 911 call at 7:30 a.m. A passerby, as well as employees, noticed smoke in the roof area.

    Nearly two dozen employees were working Sunday. They all safely exited. Damage was contained to the building itself.

    The fire chief said the fire began in the ventilation system near the plant’s heat treatment area. He said the area became too hot, which caught the roof on fire.

    Firefighters cut about a 30-foot wide hole through the roof to extinguish the smoldering materials. Assisting Fenton City were fire departments from Fenton Township and Linden City. Crews cleared the scene at 10:30 a.m. The facility was up and running Sunday night, said Cairnduff.

    Leaders of the company hosted a grand opening in June. The 88,000-square-foot facility, located at Owen Road and Fenway Drive, employs 44 workers. The grand opening was the culmination of Acument’s eight-month effort to convert the former fastener plant it had closed at the peak of the recession in early 2009.

    The revived center provides processing services to Acument’s fastener manufacturing sites in the United States and Mexico, as well as applications engineering support to its customers in the region.

    On Monday, Robert Waligora, director of engineering at the facility, said that contractors had already been at the site and preparing estimates to repair the roof and ventilation. Aside from the heat treat area, all other operations are running. Waligora is optimistic that the damaged area will be up and running by the week’s end.