Fire rips through family-owned North Carolina furniture plant

Photo By WCCB Charlotte

A massive fire broke out at the Morgan Chair factory in Stanfield, N.C., and officials said they faced a largely uphill fight.

The West Stanly Fire Department told WCNC News in Charlotte that a call about a fire came in around 3:40 p.m. with crews arriving minutes later. A spokesman estimated that about 20% of the factory was already burned when they started working to fight the fire. The fire department reported that they also faced low water-pressure issues.

In 1983, the company was founded by Billy Morgan and his wife Sue. The company originally focused on residential upholstery, but later expanded to include commercial work. In 2004, the company established a woodworking shop within Morgan Chair to produce custom frames for customers, both commercial and residential. Later, the company moved to larger facilities on two separate occasions. 

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).