Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Rothschild, WI – No injuries as sprinkler system contains electrical fire at Domtar plant January 18, 2017 viking210 A backup boiler is to blame for a small electrical fire at Domtar’s Rothschild plant Monday morning. Crews from SAFER, Riverside, and Kronenwetter fire departments were called to the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. Plant general manager Kathy Collins said the departments were called after the buildings fire alarm and sprinkler system were engaged. The building’s utilities and natural gas were shut off prior to the emergency crew’s arrival. Riverside Fire District Co-Chief Robert Bowen said the fire was contained when crews arrived. It took crews around 20 minutes to secure the scene and identify the cause of the fire. Yearly in-house visits to large plants like Domtar help emergency crews better prepare for incidents, and keep crews safe, should they occur. They map entrances, exists, sprinkler systems, and potential hazards. “When we train here, we can have that knowledge first hand, and it kind of puts us ahead of the game when it comes to responding to a potential incident,” Bowen said. There were no injuries and only minor damage reported. Collins said the building would be operational again in a matter of hours.
