Community Shows Support for Employees After Carlisle Tire Blaze

Following a blaze that took several days to extinguish, the 250,000 square foot Carlisle Tire manufacturing facility in Bowdon, Georgia lies in ruins, and it appears likely the remaining company buildings at the site will also require demolition. While nobody was injured in the blaze, around 350 employees now face an uncertain future. According to local media, however, the townspeople of Bowdon are rallying to support those affected.

The town of Bowdon is home to around two thousand residents, so it takes no stretch of the imagination to realise how important the Carlisle plant was to the community. Atlanta based broadcaster 11alive reports that help for employees has come from numerous quarters. It gives the example of Kevin Aviles, assistant principal at Bowdon High School, who commented “It was an overall feel that the community was just down that day after the fire.” Aviles saw the people of Bowdon wanted to help, said 11alive, but weren’t sure how. He began making phone calls: “I just couldn’t let it go, so I walked into the office and talked to my principal, and he was behind me 110 per cent.”

The result of Aviles’ efforts is meaty….and tomatoey. On the evening of November 26, Bowdon High School will host a spaghetti dinner for Carlisle employees, the food for which has been donated by local businesses. “It just seems like every businesses here wants to do something to make a difference,” Aviles said.

In addition, the school is attempting to collect groceries to send a box of food home with every employee affected by the fire. The decision to collect canned food goods came during a school holiday week and on short notice. Nevertheless, the pile of donations continues to grow. Aviles says it’s no surprise in a town like Bowdon: “It justifies my feeling toward the community. How wonderful I’ve always thought they’d been. It’s something we’ve been proud of.”