Around 4 am on August 18, 2022, a Lafayette business went up in flames.

The Lafayette Fire Department was alerted to the fire at Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions early in the morning on Thursday, August 18, 2022.

The commercial fire was spotted by a neighbor in the area who then called the fire department.

Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions is located at 547 N. Pierce Street. Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions offers several services including collecting and filtering cooking oil from restaurants.

Public Information Spokesperson Alton Trahan said when firefighters arrived they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the large metal building.

When the firefighters gained entry into the building they saw that the entire interior of the structure was engulfed in flames.

Firefighters were able to gain control of the fire in about 15 minutes. However, the building did sustain major fire damage.

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Since this morning fire officials have been working to determine the cause of the fire. It is believed that oily rags stacked in a large plastic bag were likely the cause of the fire. It seems that the rags may have spontaneously ignited causing the fire. It is believed that the rags have been located inside the metal building for a few weeks.

The increased temperature aided in the spontaneous combustion of the oily rags, Trahan said.

The fire has been ruled an accident.

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