Fire damages manufacturing business in St. Charles

Fire did a minimum of $50,000 in damage to a manufacturing business in St. Charles early Saturday, fire officials said.

A fire alarm went off at the Eifeler Lafer Co., 3800 Commerce Drive, at 4:15 a.m. Upon arrival at 4:21 a.m., firefighters found heavy smoke in the manufacturing area of the building, and upgraded the alarm.

Additional units from St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and West Chicago responded. An activated sprinkler head helped keep the fire in check, officials said.

The fire was extinguished in approximately 30 minutes, fire officials said, but it took several hours to complete smoke evacuation and conduct the fire investigation. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but is not considered suspicious, fire offiicals said in a news release.

The business was closed and no employees or occupants were present. There were no injuries to firefighters. Elburn and Fermi Lab Fire Departments provided coverage while St. Charles units were committed to the fire.