[UPDATED below] A fire broke out at GE Aviation engine manufacturing facility in Evendale, Ohio late Monday afternoon.
In addition to serving as the headquarters of GE’s Aviation division, the facility assembles the CFM56 engines used on all current Boeing 737 aircraft and many Airbus A320-family jets. It also fabricates parts for several other engine types, including the GE90, CF6 and F110. It also builds turbines used for ships and industrial applications. Extensive testing of various engine types are also conducted at the plant, including the new CFM LEAP engines to be used on Airbus’s A320neo jets.
There is not yet word on any impact to the factory’s operations.
Update 6:00pm ET: GE says a fire broke out in Building 401 of the company’s Evendale complex at around 4:30pm, and all personnel were safely evacuated from the building and surrounding buildings. Building 401 is used for engine testing. An employee told Cincinnati.com that the fire was sparked by an explosion, but this has not been confirmed.
Update 6:45pm ET: Production and operations will not be affected by the fire, a GE spokesperson tells us.
