COLUMBUS – Golden Artist Colors opened for business as usual today, despite an early morning fire which filled the corridors of the paint manufacturing facility with smoke.

“They are extremely lucky,” said Chenango County Fire Coordinator Matthew Beckwith.

According to Beckwith, the fire originated in a room in the center of the building where the company’s products are labeled.

At approximately 3:25 a.m., the Chenango County 911 Center received a fire alarm activation from the facility, located at 188 Bell Road in the Town of Columbus. At the same time, a Golden Artist employee working in the building also called 9-1-1, and reported smoke in the building.

According to Beckwith, the man was the only person in the facility.