At least five fire departments responded to the massive blaze. Crews had to fight the fire defensively.
Officials evacuated neighborhoods for a few hours in the direction the smoke was blowing as a precautionary measure since there is styrofoam in the building.
After fighting the blaze for four hours, the fire was out but the production area of the plant is a loss with extreme smoke and water damage.
The state fire marshal has ruled the fire as arson. It was detemined the fire originated inside the plant, which was not open at the time the fire started. A reward of $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the identification of those involved in the arson. Call 800-589-2728 if you have any information.
Directly after the fire, the company's Wynn Roth told us, "We'll pick up and move on. We have a generator out here, we'll get the power hooked up and start taking orders so we can start shipping again."
Twelve people are employed by Northwestern Ohio Foam Packaging. The company has been in Wauseon for decades.
