By D.J. Corcoran
Shortly after 11:30 on Sunday, firefighters from the Knoxville (TN) Fire Department were dispatched to TAMKO ASPHALT Co., 2506 Johnston Street in the Lonsdale Community.
The company makes an asphalt roofing paper from recycled cardboard coated with a tar-like substance. Inside, firefighting crews described the burning material as a byproduct, consisting of caked-up paper dust combined with grease and grime from a machine-rich environment.
There were approximately 10 workers inside the roughly 60,000-square-foot facility at the time of the fire. The fire was contained to the area of origin in as little as 45 minutes with no major damage to the operations of the business, and no injuries to workers or firefighters.
