Fire damages manufacturing company in Battle Ground

A two-alarm fire caused major damage to Topper Industries in Battle Ground on Tuesday evening.

No one was hurt, and aggressive efforts by some 30 firefighters saved the building at 919 S.E. Grace Ave., said Division Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo of Clark County Fire and Rescue.

Residents called 911 after seeing a huge column of smoke rise from the building at 5:33p.m. Crews arrived within two minutes and immediately called for more help. Eight crews fought the fire and had it knocked down in about 45 minutes.

Topper Industries manufactures docks and other floating structures and sells products throughout the West, according to the company’s website.

So many people were watching the fire, including youngsters from the nearby skate park, that the crowd “slowed us down a bit,” Ciraulo said. He also is Battle Ground’s mayor.

The business is near Battle Ground Village, a mixed-use development that is about three years old.

Ciraulo said there was a report that a person was trapped inside the building, but that turned out to be false.

“We did have a rescue,” Ciraulo said. “We saved a cat. The cat is doing fine.”

But firefighters worried because fire was ripping into containers of materials behind Topper.

Ciraulo said the company has chemicals and hazardous materials but that they did not catch fire. He said the machinery inside the business was not harmed except for smoke damage.

“I think the aggressive action by our firefighters saved the building,” Ciraulo said. “The owners of the company were there, and they were very thankful.

“They are a very important industry for our city.”

Topper owners hoped to be back in business within several days, Ciraulo added.

Cause of the fire is under investigation by a county fire marshal and the Battle Ground Police Department.

A damage estimate was not available.

Crews stayed until about midnight at the scene, Ciraulo said.