Fire Monday at Irwin Telescopic

Altamont firefighters were called to Irwin Telescopic, just west of the Effingham County Fairgrounds, at 12:20pm. Altamont Fire Chief Jon Becker said a dust collector in the south end of the building was the source of the fire. Apparently, a filter in the machine caught fire. A sprinkler system inside the machine activated, but the machine was still smoldering when firefighters arrived. Becker said there was smoke throughout the building, so personnel were evacuated until the building could be ventilated.

Becker said the fire did an estimated $20,000 damage to the dust collector. He said there was no structural damage.

Altamont firefighters handled the call on their own, although Abbott EMS was there on standby and Altamont police checked in at the scene.

Firefighters were on scene for about an hour.