Traffic back to normal after factory fire east of Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Traffic is back to normal after a Thursday morning fire at a brake part manufacturer east of Columbia.

The fire response at Ostcon, located at Rangeline and Richland roads, caused dispatchers to warn drivers about congestion in the area. Otscon Vice President Kathy Cowan-Smith said a woman who worked in the shipping area saw a spark and alerted the vice president. The fire came from an electrical short circuit, she said.

Firefighters said no one was injured. Twenty firefighters were called to the scene, Boone County Fire Protection District spokesman Gale Blomenkamp said. An estimate of the damage costs was not available.

Cowan-Smith said the company had a fire drill Wednesday and workers put those protocols into practice Thursday. She said 140 of the plant's 155 employees were inside at the time of the fire, she said. They were sent home for the day.

Emergency radio traffic indicated a fire in a loading dock.

Check back for updates to this developing story.