Cheatham County-

On Tuesday, October 4th, firefighters from six Cheatham County departments responded to reports of a structure fire at the A.O. Smith Water Products plant in Ashland City.

The fire started in a metal dust collection system.  Two sprinkler heads contained the blaze to the 60' x 60' portion of the 1.6 million square-foot facility.  Firefighters were quickly able to extinguish the remaining flames upon arrival.

A.O. Smith Water Products, a water heater manufacturer, is the largest employer in Cheatham County with over 1,600 employees.  The plant was completely evacuated upon arrival of the first fire units, and was back to full operation within 90 minutes of the initial alarm.

Ashland City Deputy Fire Chief Derek Noe credits the fire sprinkler system for controlling the blaze and isolating the damage to the area of origin.