No one hurt in fire at General Mills factory in West Chicago

No one was injured when equipment overheated, causing a fire Wednesday morning at the General Mills plant in west suburban West Chicago.

Crews responded to the fire in the cereal plant in the 700 block of West Washington Street at 6:08 a.m., according to the West Chicago Fire District.

The fire was reported inside a piece of equipment on the plant’s third floor, and firefighters had difficulty accessing the machinery because of its location, heavy smoke and limited stairwell access, according to a statement from the district.

Additional companies were called to help ventilate the plant and search the building.

The plant was in operation at the time and all employees were evacuated, according to the statement. No injuries were reported.

“The cause of the fire is believed to be as a result of the overheating of the equipment involved and is not considered to be suspicious,” according to the statement.

There was no structural damage to the plant, General Mills spokesman Mike Siemienas said.

The plant has resumed normal operations Wednesday afternoon, except in the affected area, he said.