An overnight fire at the Yuengling Brewery in Tampa was accidental and did about $1 million worth of damage, authorities said.

Brewery operations manager Jim Helmke said Sunday an upstairs area is "a mess," but no beer was lost, and the brewery will resume production Monday.

Firefighters rushed to the the 1950s-era brewery next to Busch Gardens around 8 p.m. after receiving a report the building was engulfed in flames. They found heavy smoke and fire coming from the brewery's storage building.

More than 60 firefighters took about an hour to bring the blaze under control, although crews continued to put out hot spots overnight. Workers in the building, which is located at at 11111 N. 30th Street, had been evacuated safely and no injuries were reported.



A Tampa firefighter did suffered minor injuries and was treated and released at a hospital, Tampa Fire Rescue said.



Helmke said the fire actually started while workers were putting in a fire escape. He said the workers were welding when some wood got hot, caught fire and spread through an upstairs area.



The Tampa Fire Marshal has ruled the fire accidental, although an investigation remains open.

Investigators said fire damage to the building and physical structure account for most of the estimated $1 million in damages.

The building is a former Stroh brewery and was purchased by Yuengling in 1999. Yuengling, which bills itself as America's oldest brewery, uses the Tampa location to produce beer for Tampa, Alabama and Tennessee.

