Multiple fire departments converged on a paper plant in Anderson, South Carolina, Sunday morning after dispatch received a call reporting a fire at First Quality Tissue. No injuries have been reported.
According to Anderson County dispatch, the call came in early Sunday and pulled in crews from several agencies to the Masters Boulevard facility, as reported by Fox Carolina. The Homeland Park Fire Department served as the main responding agency, per the station's report. Fox Carolina, which broke the news Sunday morning, says it plans to learn more as the situation develops.
A Major Employer With A Sprawling Footprint
First Quality Tissue planned to add 350,000 square feet to its facility at 441 Masters Blvd., a site redeveloped from a former BASF-Shaw Industries property, according to the Upstate Business Journal. The company manufactures paper towels and bath tissue at the plant, per its own website. As of 2021, the facility employed roughly 885 people, the same outlet reported, with operations running on continuous manufacturing shifts.
The Anderson plant opened in 2022, according to Fox Carolina. The pitch at the time included a pledge of $1 billion in investment and 1,000 jobs, one of the state's largest economic development projects of that era. In March 2021, the company launched an expansion to install a Through-Air-Dried paper machine at the site, adding 70,000 tons of annual production capacity for ultra-premium towel and tissue products, the Upstate Business Journal noted.
Why A Tissue Mill Fire Draws A Big Response
Tissue manufacturing facilities carry elevated fire risks tied to fine combustible paper dust, densely packed paper roll storage, and high-temperature drying equipment, hazards regulated under National Fire Protection Association standards 652 and 654, according to WatchDog Robotics. Smoldering paper dust and compacted rolls typically require specialized suppression tactics rather than a standard structure-fire response.
A Site With A Troubled Safety History
Sunday's fire is not the first serious incident tied to the Anderson facility. In November 2021, a 35-year-old construction subcontractor was killed and another worker was injured when a heavy steel beam fell during building construction at the site, according to Nip Impressions. The accident occurred during steel-beam construction at the facility.
