THE LATEST: CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte Fire Department says a fire at International Paper in NoDa was an accident. Investigators say Wednesday’s fire was likely caused by a spark while handling materials with heavy machinery on concrete.  The fire caused an estimated $10k worth of damage. See the original story below. ORIGINAL STORY: (POSTED 11/13/24 CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte Fire Department is investigating a fire at a paper manufacturing plant. That fire covered the NoDa area with smoke and clogged up roadways. WCCB Charlotte’s Zane Cina was there and got reaction from those who saw it all. The two alarm fire caused chaos on the 200 block of East 28th Street just after 3 p.m. Wednesday. Rescuers said the fire took place behind International Paper, a paper products manufacturer. According to a post on X (formally Twitter), made by Charlotte Fire Department, a large pile of debris was engulfed in flames and spewing a massive tower of smoke across the NoDa area. A video attached to the post showed what appeared to be a large pile of cardboard that was burning. Firefighters said this fire created challenging conditions with smoke that hampered visibility. A second alarm was struck by the fire at 3:08 p.m. and brought additional ladder and engine companies to the scene, rescuers said. After an hour and a half crews said they were able to get the fire under control. Charlotte Fire said once the flames were extinguished, heavy machinery was used to separate sections of the debris pile to ensure all hot spots were extinguished, and the area was made safe. Charlotte Fire Department announced there were no injuries reported as a result of the fire. The investigating into what caused the fire at International Paper is still underway, investigators said. WCCB crews reached out to International Paper for comment, but no response has been given at this time.