No injuries were reported following a fire at Behr Iron and Metal, 201 Wheeler Ave., on Saturday afternoon, according to South Beloit Fire Chief Dan Zerfass.
The department responded at around 2:02 p.m. and requested mutual aid from area departments after encountering heavy fire and plumes of smoke at the scene.
Upon arrival, crews found an area on the exterior portion of the building with heavy fire. Crews quickly doused the flames and contained the fire to the area of origin that was believed to be a conveyor belt, Zerfass said.
The fire was caused by discarded, nonmagnetic metallic material on the conveyor belt from the sorting of automobile parts, Zerfass said, adding that the sorting of metal-on-metal materials likely created a spark that lead to the fire.