The fire started on the roof of the building, Hatcher said, but he could not say if there was damage in the building. He said the building was a newer part of the Fuyao plant and the company had been still setting up manufacturing lines in the building.
The fire crews had to suspend aerial ladders from spraying water on top of the roof due to lightening strikes in the area. Hatcher said crews would continue after the storm died down.
Multiple area fire departments assisted the Moraine Fire Department with the fire, although a Moraine dispatcher could not immediately say how many. Thousands of gallons of water were used to fight the fire.
A statement from the company said, “At approximately 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, a fire was reported at our Moraine, Ohio facility. Employees quickly implemented our emergency response plan, all were evacuated safely and first responders were notified. We will provide additional updates as we learn more but we are grateful that our employees are safe and for the professional, dedicated and quick support from local fire services.”
No cause for the fire was reported Sunday night. Hatcher said no fire crews or employees were injured in the fire.
At midnight, fire crews still had not been in the building as the fire was mostly on the roof of the plant, according to Hatcher. He said most of the flames were caused by roofing materials.
Hatcher said when crews first appeared at the plant there was some confusion if there was a fire because flames could not be seen.
He said the building is where the company was setting up a new coating factory that used a special process.
Hatcher said the fire crews did a good job and it could have been a lot worse due to the weather conditions.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Heavy winds in the area stoked the flames from the factory and although there was heaving rain it did not stamp down the flames for a long time.
Residents near the plant said they could smell chemicals burning and smoke can be seen throughout Kettering.
Roads surrounding the plant, including Dixie Drive, were closed to traffic. Hatcher recommended people not drive by the plant so they don’t cause accidents.
Tim and Sue Turpin, West Carrollton residents, said from their vantage point near the area of Ohio 725 and Alex Road pervasive thick black smoke could be seen.
While they didn’t see flames from that distance, black smoke and haze were visible, Tim Turpin said.
“There’s a haze in the air, and a really strong chemical smell,” he said.
“And we can smell it in our house,” Sue Turpin added.
Former Ohio State Sen. Nirah Antani, a Miamisburg resident, said a Fuyao employee told him employees are being notified not to report to work Monday.
AES Ohio said electric was cut to the plant to help firefighters, who fought 40 mph winds as they tried to pour water on the building.
Fuyao, headquartered in Fuzhou, China, opened the plant with more than 1 million square feet of space with a $200 million investment in 2016 at the former General Motors Assembly Plant, which closed in 2008.
The company added roughly 600,000 square feet of production space in 2025 to the company’s Moraine operations.
Fuyao Glass America produces 30% of all automotive glass in the U.S., according tot he company.
Fuyao Glass America Vice President Amy Lei said last year the glass company has already invested $1 billion in Montgomery County, and the company’s American presence is designed to attract and serve the American market.
“Ohio is in the center of everything for what we do in the U.S.,” Lei said. “And everything we do here, stays here in the U.S.”
The company also has locations in Michigan and South Carolina, and it will be expanding its Illinois operations.
Federal agents last summer searched Fuyao’s main plant and other local locations. No charges have been filed, and Fuyao has not been named a target of the investigation.
The federal government is pursuing a civil forfeiture complaint against assets tied to an investigation of an alleged $126 million staffing and money laundering operation allegedly linked to some Fuyao workers.
