Lewisburg firefighters quickly contain oven fire at Playworld building

Smoke at Playworld sent Lewisburg firefighters and regional volunteers to Route 192 around 11 a.m. Thursday, where crews found a small industrial oven fire and quickly brought it under control.

The response pulled in Buffalo Valley Regional Police and Buffalo Valley Regional EMS, showing how quickly even a small fire in a manufacturing building can become a broader public-safety call in the Lewisburg area. After the flames were extinguished, firefighters ventilated the building to clear smoke from inside the structure. The fire appears to have been contained before it spread beyond the oven area.

For Union County, the incident matters because Playworld is one of the area’s most recognizable employers. A fire that starts in production equipment can interrupt operations, trigger equipment checks and slow the return to normal even when damage is limited. Thursday’s response also showed the value of regional mutual aid, with volunteers assisting Lewisburg crews as they worked to secure the building.

The Playworld fire also comes against a backdrop of earlier incidents at the facility. On May 6, 2021, a fire at the Playworld Systems plant was ruled accidental and traced to a curing oven in the back of the building. WNEP reported at the time that all 120 employees made it out safely and that the company faced millions of dollars in damage.

More recently, on January 6, 2026, firefighters from across the region responded to a two-alarm fire at Playworld that was later described as confined to a welding booth and its ventilation system. Together, the past incidents point to a recurring fire risk tied to industrial heat sources and air-handling equipment, the kind of hazard that can spread quickly if not caught early.

Thursday’s call was smaller, but it still drew police, EMS and volunteer fire companies to a local workplace that anchors jobs and activity in Lewisburg. For a company like Playworld, rapid containment can make the difference between a short disruption and a much larger shutdown, and for local crews it was another reminder that fast response remains central to protecting both workers and the county’s economy.