Firefighters battled a large blaze at a metal recycling facility in Akron Wednesday morning.

Akron Fire Lt. Leon Henderson says heavy smoke and flames could be seen coming from the roof of the building when crews arrived on scene in the 300 block of Silver Street around 8 a.m.

The fire was under control around 10 a.m., but crews were still on scene putting out hot spots around 11:30 a.m.

Officials say the building is a total loss.

Henderson says crews used a defensive approach when they battled the blaze because of how the building was constructed and some of the flammable materials inside.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Henderson says it appears the building was empty when firefighters arrived on scene. No injuries have been reported.

Firefighters battled a large fire that broke out at an Akron pallet company early Friday morning.

Crews responded to the fire at Tri County Pallet and Mulch on Flora Avenue near West Wilbeth Road around 5 a.m.

Around 9 a.m., Akron Fire Captain Al Bragg said the fire was under control and crews were working to put out hot spots throughout the area.

"There were six or seven tractor-trailers inside that were burning; as well as some tow motors, a few explosions in there," said Bragg. "A pretty substantial fire."

Bragg says size of the building is comparable to the size of a football field.

No injuries have been reported.

Fire crews were able to clear the scene at around 2:30 Friday afternoon.

It appears the building is not a total loss, according to Bragg. But the damage estimate so far totals more than $650,000

"I was told that they were able to save a substantial portion of the business. So, right now, it looks like there has been some of the business saved."

Fire investigators say sparks from a band saw could have ignited the fire.

Bragg says crews had to shutdown a portion of the railroad near the fire for several hours.

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Firefighters battled a commercial building fire in Akron this morning that may have slowly ignited hours earlier. 

Crews were called to the North American Lifting Equipment Company warehouse in the 700 block of Carroll Street around 6:30 a.m. .

Akron Fire Captain Al Bragg tells AkronNewsNow " They found heavy smoke from a warehouse structure. THey immediately made an aggressive interior attack and did an excellent job of bringing this fire under control in almost exactly 20 minutes."

Bragg says the firefighters quick work prevented a much bigger fire. "This could have been really devastating. By them getting in there as fast as they could, and being aggressive in putting the fire out. Their biggest problem I understand was ventilating the building, there was so much smoke," says Bragg.

The loss was limited to $50,000, with no injuries reported.

The cause remains under investigation.

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A Monday morning fire destroyed a vacant home in Akron.

The Akron Fire Department found the house fully engulfed in flames around 6:30 a.m in the 1300 block of Harpster Avenue.

Fire officials determined the house was a total loss valued at $30,000.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

No injuries were reported.  

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Update at 12:46 p.m. 

Akron Firefighters finished battling a house fire on Douglas Street and now investigators are working to determine a cause.

The home near the dead end of the street was fully engulfed in flames.

"The fire was severe enought to melt siding on homes on either sides of the house ... it was pretty severe," Bragg said.

Calls came into the department at about 9 a.m. Friday as some say they saw smoke billowing out of a window.

The flames apparently started on the front porch and spread to the rest of the house.

One firefighter was overcome by heat exhaustion and was taken to the hospital. No one else was injured. 

Follow AkronNewsNow.com for updates as more information becomes available.

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Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at Wally Waffle in Akron Thursday night.

The Akron Fire Department reports crews were able to put out the kitchen fire at the eatery at 338 Locust Street. Firefighters found flames coming from one of the kitchen burners.

Firefighters arrived in time to prevent any structural damage.

It's not known how long this could impact business. News Channel 5 reports the restaurant sustained some smoke damage.

VIDEO See Wally Waffle after the blaze was put out

On the web: NewsNet5.com

A man was killed and another person was injured in an early morning fire in Akron.

The Summit County Medical Examiner's office reported this afternoon the victim was Rodney Leon Dowdy, 53, from Golda Place in Akron. 

Firefighters arrived at the scene just after 3:00 a.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames and a woman out on a porch roof waiting to be rescued.  Firefighters were able to rescue the woman, who told them there was someone else inside.

"Due to the heavy flames, it was very difficult, but eventually they were able to find a male on the second floor, in a second floor bedroom," said Akron Fire Captain Al Bragg.  "Unfortunately, he did not survive the fire."

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.  

Bragg says there was no electricity to the house and the residents were using candles for light.  He says firefighters believe the candles or careless smoking may have caused the fatal blaze.  The house and contents are considered a complete loss, totaling an estimated $40,000.

Bragg also says there were no working smoke detectors inside the house.

"Smoke alarms are proven to double your chances of surviving a fire," said Bragg.

This marks the second time in less than a week that people were injured or killed in a fire at a house without a smoke detector in Akron.

Bragg says homeowners who need assistance obtaining and installing a smoke detector should call the Akron Fire Department at 330.375.2211.