Firefighters extinguished a fire at the Robbins LLC rubber manufacturing plant in Tallapoosa on Monday, the second industrial fire in the city since July 4.

According to Haralson County Fire Chief Brian Walker, firefighters from Tallapoosa and Haralson County responded to the call around 6 a.m. on Monday morning, after a plant manager had notified them that heavy black smoke was spreading through the more than 200,000-square-foot facility on Pequanoc Drive.

Officials stated that a mixing machine involved in rubber production overheated, causing the fire and approximately $1 million in damages.

Nearly 40 firefighters from Tallapoosa, Haralson County, Caroll County and Carrollton worked for two hours to extinguish the flames. No injuries were reported.

“I just want to commend the firefighters,” said Walker, adding members of all the departments involved worked hard to quickly and safely extinguish the flames.

According to Walker, if it hadn’t been for the facility’s built-in sprinkler system and the quick action of the initial 10 firefighters on the scene, the blaze could have been much worse.

“If it hadn’t been for the initial response and the sprinkler system, we would have really had a bad situation,” said Walker. “They really did a great job.”

On the evening of July 4, firefighters from Tallapoosa and Haralson County responded to a fire in the Carpets of Tallapoosa warehouse at the intersection of Alewine Avenue and East Lion Street.

Initially, Tallapoosa Fire Chief Scott McClain, Haralson County Fireman Rob Eaves and Tallapoosa Police Sergeant McKinley Pate worked to control the flames until more assistance arrived.

At the time of the fire, Tallapoosa had one fire engine overseeing the city’s Independence Day fireworks celebration.

The cause of the fire, which took nearly five hours to extinguish, has yet to be determined, though according to Walker, both lightening and electrical flaws have been ruled out as causes. Clay Culver, a fire investigator with the Haralson County Fire Department, is currently investigating the fire at the request of the Tallapoosa Fire Department.

The warehouse is located in close proximity to a house fire in June that was ruled an arson. Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, though a motive has not yet been established. The home gutted by the fire contained many antiques and was built in the early 1900s. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire, as the owner lives at a different location.

There is currently a $10,000 reward being offered by the Georgia Arson Control Program for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of any persons responsible for arson. Walker encouraged any member of the community with information on the fires to contact the Haralson County Fire Department at 770-646-4036. Walker emphasized that callers can remain anonymous.