NEW YORK (From news reports) -- The Huhtamaki facility in Fulton sustained minimal damage after an early morning fire on Thursday, Dec. 26.
The Fulton Fire Department tells CNY Central fire crews were not far from the facility when they got the alarm call early Thursday morning. When they arrived, workers at the plant were able to direct emergency crews to the source of the fire, which they were quickly able to extinguish.
The Fulton Fire Department says the fire started near a cyclone system used to vacuum up debris from manufacturing. Crews were able to prevent the flames from spreading into that duct work, which could have resulted in a much larger emergency situation.
Fire investigators are now reviewing security cameras and investigating the scene to determine how the fire started.
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UPDATE:
A day after a fire forced the company to close down operations for the day, Huhtamaki Inc. is up and running again, according to Fulton Fire Chief Randy Ketcham.
At about 6:30 a.m., Thursday, a worker at the packaging plant called 911 to report a fire inside the facility. An alarm inside Huhtamaki tripped less than a minute later, according to firefighters.
The firefighters needed only about five minutes to extinguish the fire once they arrived.
Employees of Huhtamaki evacuated the building and gathered in the parking lot. After about 10 minutes outside, in the early morning cold, management sent employees home for the day.
The origin of the fire was found to be a baler machine. A baler is a specialized waste recycling equipment used to compress waste materials into a tight, rectangular bale. The cause is still under investigation, officials said.
Huhtamaki is the sixth-largest employer in Oswego County, according to the 2025 County Business Guide, employing about 420 people at the Fulton location.
Finland-based Huhtamaki has operations across the globe, including across Europe, in Australia, Brazil, China, Kenya, Ghana and several other locations in the U.S.
Huhtamaki acquired the former Sealright location in Fulton in 1998. Huhtamaki specializes in providing shaped paperboard packaging and filling systems, focusing mostly on the food industry.
Huhtamaki officials could not be reached for comment.
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