Cold Weather and Gas Shortages Close Auto Plants in Michigan
DETROIT (AP) - General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler all closed auto plants Thursday due to the natural gas shortage caused by a fire at a Consumers Energy Plant on Wednesday.
Eighteen factories and other facilities closed Thursday, and It's not clear when they'll resume normal operations.
The fire hit a Consumers Energy natural gas compressor station north of Detroit on Wednesday as record-cold temperatures swept over the region.
The utility says gas flow from the station was shut off, putting Michigan residents at risk of brief service interruptions with wind chills below zero.
The affected plants are in the Detroit area as well as Lansing, Saginaw and Bay City, Michigan. Facilities served by the region's other utility, DTE Energy, are not affected.
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