17 Jan 2005
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Jan. 14) -- A warehouse in Laurens County, S.C., handling distribution for Michelin North America Inc. caught fire Jan. 13 after being damaged by a tornado.
At this time it is not clear how many tires were in the 1.2 million-sq.-ft. warehouse at the time or how many were affected. Michelin said.
The facility is owned and operated by TNT Logistics, which provides distribution and warehousing services for Michelin.
About 35 TNT employees were on site at about 7:30 p.m. when the tornado touched down, and they sought cover from the tornado following an alarm. One employee was treated and released after suffering minor injuries during evacuation, the company said.
The tire maker said Jan. 14 that the fire was under control, and firefighters were on site to extinguish it. About 25 local residents had been evacuated but have since been allowed to return home.
To ensure continued delivery, Michelin said it and TNT are focused on three objectives: conduct an assessment of the tires affected; communicate with customers about supply impacts; and re-source tires from Michelin's distribution network.
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