PANAMA CITY — Fire crews doused an afternoon fire Monday that ingited with an explosion within a road striping business, according to the owners.
No one was injured in the blaze at Emerald Coast Striping, 1901 N. East Ave., after the fire started at about 2:40 p.m., officials reported. However, much of the business’s equipment was not salvageable.
“It was pretty much a total loss, but we’re not shutting down,” said Jason Bense, owner.
Bay County, Panama City and Springfield fire crews responded to the fire, controlling the flames within minutes. The fire started moments earlier when an explosion caught a welder within the business by surprise. The welder was not injured.
Though all of the vital equipment of the business was lost in the fire, Bense said they plan on rebuilding without reducing in employee numbers.
“As long as everybody is safe, we’ll move forward and rebuild,” Bense said.
