FREDERICKSBURG - An investigation is under into what caused a fire Thursday at a manufacturing plant.

The fire broke out about 9:40 a.m. in a dryer at Aveka Manufacturing, 279 N. Woodward Ave.

Employees shut the system off quickly, but the fire was big enough at the time to sustain itself, said John Anderson, the plant manager. About 30 employees were temporarily evacuated but have since returned to work.

Fire Chief Ray Armbrecht said fire crews needed about 15 minutes to snuff the flames. Armbrecht said the fire did little damage to the spray drying unit. That area of the plant could be shut down for a couple of weeks, however, depending on the amount of damage. No other parts of the factory were damaged, Anderson said.

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

Armbrecht said the Iowa Fire Marshal's Office is investigating.

Jim Erickson, president of the Fredericksburg Community Development Board, said Aveka Manufacturing is an important employer in town with 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 plant manufactures pet food, animal feed and personal care and industrial chemicals.

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

Contact Karen Heinselman

at (319) 291-1581 or

karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.