The late-night hours of November 22 probably saw Til-Mar Textiles, Inc. president Jack Jackson snoozing peacefully. Little did he know, but at that very time, something was beginning to unfold at his 130,000 sq. ft. factory at 1305 Frederick St. that would bring the slumber to a screeching halt.
That event was a fire.
According to Jackson, the blaze apparently began around 11pm on Friday night the 22nd when a smoldering ember in a large bag of rags hanging near a washing machine ignited.
"The bag dropped its burning contents into a buggy full of more rags below it," he said. "The smoke and fire alarms sent a signal to the fire department (Shelby Fire and Rescue Station 1). From the time the signal was sent until the fire trucks got here was only about six minutes."
Shelby Fire and Rescue Station 1 is located at 506 East Grover St. about .7 mile from Til-Mar Textiles. Shelby Fire and Rescue "A" Platoon Battalion Chief David Vanhoy described the action.
"Even before we arrived, Til-Mar had done things right," he said. "The sprinkler system was up to date and held the fire until we got there. Without the sprinklers it would have been an all-night event. They also had a KnoxBox in place."
What's a KnoxBox?
"It's a box outside with a key to the business inside," said Vanhoy. "Our firetrucks have a key to the box so we can get in the business. If a business wants a box, they can go to Knoxbox.com."
According to Vanhoy, 15 fire and eight EMS personnel responded to the scene.
"We had three engines there," he said. "Cleveland Vol. Fire Department also responded."
Even after the fire was out, Vanhoy's men continued to stay on top of the situation.
"We stayed for forty-five minutes to monitor the air quality in the warehouse," he said.
Overall, Vanhoy says the event was a testament to the professionalism of the responders.
"We operated like a well-oiled machine," he said.
Jackson praised Shelby Fire and Rescue Station 1 for their expertise in bringing the situation to an expeditious and happy ending.
"I'm so thankful for the Shelby Fire and Rescue Department," he said. "I want to thank the brave firefighters who entered a blazing smoke field plant. My words cannot express the gratitude I have for them. The response time to Til-Mar Textile's alarm system was nothing short of spectacular! Their performance is truly a standard of excellence. Within minutes of the Til-Mar alarm system signaling, the fire department arrived. They entered the building, evaluated the situation, extinguished the fire and shut off the sprinkler system. They saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in fire and flood damage."
Today, a burned area still on the concrete floor is evidence of where the ignited cloths were blazing.
Now that it's safe and sound, let's look at Til-Mar Textiles, which is one of Shelby's most interesting businesses and a literal case of ...rags to riches.
To make its product, the company takes cloth remnants from a variety of sources, especially the clothing and towel industries, and through a multi-step process of trimming, washing, bleaching, and packaging, transforms them into high quality wiping cloths that find their way to an international variety of buyers who use them for all sorts of things.
"We have customers all over the country as well as locations such as Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, Honduras, and Dominican Republic," Jackson says. "We sell to places like Home Depot, Staples, and the Amish who use the cloths in furniture making."
Interestingly, Jackson says since the cloths are chemical and residue free, the military buys and uses them to wipe artillery rockets clean before firing. Nuclear plants, Freightliner, and the aviation industry also avail themselves of Til-Mar Textiles products.
According to Jackson, the roots of Til-Mar go back to 1971 when his father and mother Stoney and Peggy Jackson began a rag recycling business named S&P Sales.
"It began in a 12x12 foot building with a cutter powered by a drop cord running from the house," Jack says.
Jack didn't get involved in the rag trade right away, but when his father's health began to falter, he came home in 2010 and pitched in.
"I started Carolina Rag Man in 2017," he says. "I also began to acquire other wiping businesses."
In 2019, Jackson bought Til-Mar from Shelby's James Martin.
"It was a game changer," he said.
These days, Til-Mar is going strong and is a major player on the national cloth wiper and recycling scene.
"Annual sales are around $5 million," said Jackson. "We have between 30 and 35 employees."
Overall, Jackson counts himself lucky to be where he is- and free of fire too.
"I am blessed," he said.
More about Shelby Fire and Rescue...
The Grover Street Firehouse is located at 506 East Grover Street and serves as the "battalion house" for the city. Engine Company 31, Ladder Company 25, Battalion 1, along with the department's cross staffed resources, Rescue 28 and Truck 37, are based here. The Fire & Rescue Department's administrative headquarters, the Fire Marshal's Office, and the Emergency Management Office are also located on the campus. The Fire & Rescue Department is internationally accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) through the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) and is an ISO Class I rated department by the Insurance Services Office (ISO).