Fire Destroys Tiffin Mats Building In Elkton, Which Owes Customers Money: Report

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Firefighters from Harford County were called in to assist Cecil County firefighters with a multi-alarm fire that broke out at a building at 505 Blue Ball Rd. in Elkton around 1 a.m. Monday.

More than 100 firefighters, including some from Pennsylvania and Delaware, responded to the scene. Fire officials said when firefighters arrived, 75 percent of the building was engulfed in flames. It took them nearly two hours to bring the fire under control.

The building, located in the Triumph Industrial Park, had approximately 10,000 square feet. It belongs to Tiffin Mats, which manufactures athletic sports mats for cheer, tumbling and other activities.

Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been called in to help the Office of the State Fire Marshal with its investigation. Excavators will be brought in to help remove heavy debris. A K9 named Blondie also has been brought in to help.

Fire officials said the products used to make the mats combined with diesel fuel made the building burn quickly.

"That's also making it difficult for our K-9 teams to enter the building. Those K-9s are there to detect any type of accelerant or ignitable liquid. With diesel fuel throughout the building, that makes it very difficult for our teams to get in there and try to help investigators locate the source of the fire," State Fire Marshal's Office Master Deputy Oliver Alkire told WBAL.

No injuries were reported.

WBAL-TV 11 News visited the company in 2015 after learning about dozens of complaints lodged against the company, all claiming that customers paid thousands of dollars for products they never received and refunds that were never paid. When 11 News Investigates revisited the company in November 2023, there were still customers waiting for products they ordered. Alkire told the media outlet that that information will be considered in the investigation.

"All of that information is certainly important to us, so we are going to talk to the owner, talk to the employees and see where that information leads us," he said.

In 2023, a cheer squad in Nags Head, North Carolina, is still waiting for Tiffin Mats they ordered in May 2022.

"I've spent a little over $2,000, and I've received nothing, absolutely nothing," Connie Leech, the cheer squad's head coach, told WBAL. She was unaware of the original 11 News report from eight years ago. "How are they getting away with this? How are they still in business?"

A Massachusetts cheer group from the 2015 story wants to know the same thing, according to WBAL.

"I can't, I just can't after all these years," said Julie Rochefort, a former Tiffin customer, told WBAL. "I can't believe they're still doing this to gyms, to people. I can't. It just blows my mind."

Tiffin has an "F" rating on its Better Business Bureau profile, where there have been 57 complaints filed within the last three years. Tiffin has failed to respond to 55 of the complaints.

Gerry Stringer, the new owner of Tiffin Mats, told WBAL the business is "struggling to keep its head above water," and he admitted to a "huge backlog." He also said they are working with a finance company to help bring products in for manufacturing.