The SCA Tissue plant was operating as normal on Friday after a fire began on the facility's roof at around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday 15th June 2010.

Flames from two exhaust fans on the roof could be seen upon arrival at the 1 River St. facility, South Glens Falls Chief Pete Corlew said.

Cindy Stilp, a spokeswoman for SCA Tissue, said Friday the fire began when dust build-up around the exhaust fans ignited.

"It was truthfully a minor fire," Stilp said. "These fans operate at close to 1,000 degrees, and coupled with the fact that the exterior temperatures were so high does create the possibility for fire."

The portion of the roof where the exhaust fans are located is monitored by cameras, Stilp said, and as soon as the fire was spotted by security staff, the plant's employees enacted "standard operating procedures" to extinguish the fire.

Stilp said there was no damage to the building or its machines or wiring, as the fire was contained to the dust deposits.

"We do want to thank the fire department for their professionalism and their response," Stilp said.

There were also no injuries reported, Corlew said.

Fire officials said SCA employees originally fought the blaze before it grew out of their control.

Though Corlew said the cause was initially thought to be an electrical malfunction, Stilp said that was not the case. The dust was ignited only by the heat of the exhaust fans combined with the hot summer weather, she said.

More than a dozen firetrucks responded to fight the fire. Fire departments included South Glens Falls, West Glens Falls, Queensbury, South Queensbury, Hudson Falls, Gansevoort and Wilton.

West Glens Falls Chief Kevin Miner said a large number of firefighters were brought in because the hot and humid night meant they could only battle the blaze for 15 minutes at a time.