Category Archives: Manufacturing

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Columbia, MO – Sprinklers suppress fire at rubber products manufacturer; Damage minimized, No injuries

The Columbia Fire Department responded to a structure fire at Gates Rubber Corporation Saturday morning at about 10:30. When crews got to the scene, they found that the fire had already been put out by the sprinkler system. Fire officials say the fire was contained to a small area and didn’t cause much damage. Nobody was injured in the fire. The assistant fire marshal was able to determine that the fire was caused by friction on some hand tools. He believes the damages are about $2,000.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Hickman, CA – Sprinklers activate to help stop fire originating in almond roaster

Employees at the Rolling Hills Nut Co. plant south of Hickman were able to extinguish a fire that began on an almond roaster early Wednesday.

At about 2:15 a.m., crews from the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District and Ceres and Modesto fire departments responded to a report of a structure fire at the plant on the 3000 block of Montpelier Road. The report was of almonds on fire in a warehouse.

First crews on the scene saw light smoke from a warehouse. An almond roaster had been on fire but was extinguished by employees. The sprinkler system also had activated as it should, said Stanislaus Consolidated Battalion Chief Eric DeHart.

Firefighters checked and confirmed that the fire was out, and remained on the scene to help clear smoke, he said.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Burlington, IA – Sprinkler system credited with containing fire at printing company

Firefighters responded to a fire at Doran & Ward Printing Company, located at 2811 Mt. Pleasant St. on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016. The fire reportedly started in an office. It activated a sprinkler head, which fire officials say kept the fire from spreading.

Employees evacuated the building and firefighters used a fire extinguisher to put out the remaining flames. The fire was out by 3:51 a.m.

The investigation revealed that the fire started in a light fixture in a small office located in the plant, causing melting plastic to drop down onto a desk and chair.
Damage was contained to the office area and is estimated to be less than $4,000. Employees returned to work a short time later.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Salina, KS – Compressor fire at cabinet manufacturer put out by sprinkler system

A fire in the compressor room at Crestwood caused employees to be evacuated Monday morning and shut down the cabinet-making plant for half the day.Capt. Roger Soldan said firefighters with Rural Fire Department No. 2 responded to the call about 9:10 a.m. at the plant at 601 E. Water Well.

Crestwood president Mike Junk said the bearings in the motor of one of three air compressors went out, sparking the fire, which was put out right away by an automatic sprinkler system.

Junk said firefighters came through to check for flames and hot spots, and the electricity was shut off while the system was assessed for damage.

Junk said the plant was back up and running Monday afternoon, with just the other two air compressors. He said parts have been ordered to repair the third compressor

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Lincoln, ME – Sprinklers help contain fire at Lincoln Wood Shavings Mill

A fire broke out at LMJ Enterprises in Lincoln around 6 a.m. The mill, located in the former Haskell Lumber facility on Main Street, makes wood shavings for animal bedding.

There was extensive heat and water damage inside the building, according to fire fighters.

Authorities tell TV-5 the fire was burning for several hours before they arrived. The building’s sprinkler system kept the flames from 15doing more damage.

The fire is not considered suspicious and the Fire Marshal’s office has been called in to determine a cause.

 

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Port Moody, BC – Sprinkler system contains fire at sawmill; No injuries

No one was injured following an explosion and fire at a Port Moody sawmill early Tuesday morning.

Firefighters received a call at 2:30 a.m. that there was a fire at the Flavelle Sawmill. It turns out that a nitrogen tank that was part of a hydraulic system had exploded, due to a nearby fire.

When crews arrived, there was a small fire at the mill, but the sprinkler system had activated and contained the fire.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause.

The explosion did blow a “significant hole” in the sawmill wall, according to the PMFD.

Workers were on break at the time so there was no one in the area.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Gorham, ME – Machinery fire at tool company held in check by sprinkler system

A tool company in Gorham had to evacuate Tuesday morning after a fire broke out inside the building. It happened at Irwin Tools on Bartlett Road just after 7 a.m. Crews from several different departments assisted Gorham in fighting the flames

Gorham’s fire chief says employees were inside working at the time. No one was hurt. The chief says the building’s sprinkler system kept the fire under control until crews arrived. “No question, the sprinkler system kept the fire in check inside until the crews could get in and get it knocked down,” Chief Robert Lefebvre, Gorham Fire Department, said. “There’s metal filings from machines that make tools and such, at this point not sure what machines in the area that caused it. We’ll be looking into that down the road.”

Chief Lefebvre says it appears the fire started near the ceiling level. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Loudon, TN – Fire at ceramics plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire Monday afternoon at a ceramic tile plant in Loudon started when a motor began burning and then ignited hydraulic fluid, fire officials said. The Loudon Fire Department was alerted about 1:15 p.m. Monday to the blaze at the Del Conca USA Plant.

According to Mike Brubaker, chief of the Loudon Fire Department, the fire started in a machine that presses and forms the ceramic tiles. The fire grew in intensity and seriousness once the hydraulic fluid caught fire, according to Brubaker. No injuries were reported.

The plant’s sprinkler system activated, which helped to suppress the fire. It took crews about 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, according to Brubaker.  The Lenoir City Fire Department worked with the Loudon Fire Department to fight the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Bel Air, MD – Fire that started in ductwork controlled with help from sprinklers

One person was injured in an electrical fire at an industrial building in Belcamp Tuesday, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The fire began at 11:54 a.m. in the ductwork at Böttcher Systems in the 4600 block of Mercedes Drive, according to the report.

An employee and alarm monitoring company discovered the blaze, which began in the exhaust duct, ignited rubber millings, then spread, according to the report, which said a spark detector inside the duct failed to extinguish the millings. The fire was ruled accidental.

The 50-year-old employee who found the fire tried to extinguish it and as a result, he sustained a first-degree burn to his finger, the fire marshal reported. He was treated and released at the scene, the report said.

After the fire and sprinkler systems activated, it took 30 firefighters from Abingdon, Joppa-Magnolia, Aberdeen and Bel Air approximately 15 minutes to bring it under control, the report said.

There was $5,000 in damage to items inside the building, according to the fire marshal.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Pelham, AL – Equipment fire at manufacturing plant contained by sprinkler system

A Wednesday morning fire at a Pelham plant sent one employee to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Fire crews responded to a call at Coosa Composites LLC at 105 Pardue Road at 7 a.m. Plastic material and a piece of machinery caught fire, but it was mostly contained by the plant’s sprinkler system, according to the Pelham Fire Department.