Small fire at Takata plant in San Antonio forces evacuation

Over 70 Takata Corp. employees temporarily evacuated the supplier’s San Antonio seatbelt production plant after a small fire broke out early this morning, officials said.

San Antonio fire crews reported to the scene about 12:30 a.m. after receiving a call about smoke coming from the plant. About 76 Takata employees evacuated. There was just one injury -- a firefighter was hospitalized for a hand injury.

A machinery malfunction caused the fire, which was contained to an industrial dust collector, said Christian Bove, public information officer for the San Antonio Fire Department.

“[The fire] appears to have been from an overheated motor,” said Alby Berman, Takata vice president of global communications.

Employees were back at work shortly after the fire, and Bove estimated damage will total about $1,500.

“Everything was taken care of within a half-hour,” Bove told Automotive News today. The incident was reported earlier by local media.

Berman added: “All operations are running normally with the exception of the one machine.”

Takata has come under fire recently for supplying airbag inflators that can burst violently when they are deployed, shooting drivers and passengers with pieces of metal. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 10 million vehicles in the U.S. since 2008 made by 10 automakers may be affected. At least four deaths and 139 injuries have been tied to inflators that ruptured.