FREDERICKSBURG - An investigation is under way as to what caused a fire at a manufacturing plant in town.

The fire broke out this morning at Aveka Manufacturing, 279 N. Woodward Ave., in a dryer. Employees shut the system off quickly, but the fire was big enough at the time to sustain itself, said John Anderson, Aveka plant manager. About 30 employees were temporarily evacuated, but have since returned to work.

The flames were put out quickly, Anderson said. The spray drying area of the plant could be shut down for a couple of weeks, depending on the amount of damage. No other parts of the factorty were damaged, he said.

"The rest of the plant is up and going already," Anderson said.

No cause has been determined yet. Firefighters remain at the scene this afternoon.

Jim Erickson, president of the Fredericksburg Community Development Board, said AVEKA Manufacturing is an important employer in town that employees several dozen workers.

"They are a major business in Fredericksburg," Erickson said. "They are vital to the community and hopefully it's nothing too serious."

According to the company's Web site, Aveka Manufacturing in Fredericksburg operates out of a 63,000-square-foot facility. Part of the AVEKA Group based in Woodbury, Minn., the Fredericksburg site focuses on the contract manufacturing of pet food, animal feed, personal care and industrial chemicals. The manufacturer concentrates on spray drying, roll drying, fluid bed drying, prilling, particle coating, particle surface modification, wet blending and processing and dry blending, according to an online summary.

AVEKA Manufacturing officially took control of the Fredericksburg facility, formerly used by a dairy operation, in 1997 but began production even earlier.