Category Archives: Manufacturing Plant

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Waterville, ME – Factory fire controlled with help from sprinkler system

An early morning fire at the Huhtamaki factory resulted in an evacuation and partial road closure Monday morning. No one was injured in the fire.  Waterville Fire Department Capt. Shawn Esler said they received the call around 7:30 a.m. on Monday for a large fire at the mill on College Avenue, where they responded with the assistance of the Fairfield Fire Department. Upon arrival, he said they discovered a large fire on the dryers requiring firefighters to deploy on the mill’s roof. Esler said two ladder trucks were committed to reach the roof line, and a crew of about 20 firefighters responded.

“The fire was contained to that area,” Esler said. “We had a very, very quick knockdown.” The cause of the fire at this time is unknown, Esler said. Crews were at the mill for about four hours, and Esler said most of that time was spent ensuring there was no extension of the fire to other portions of the mill.  Esler said several Huhtamaki employees were in the building at the time of the fire and were evacuated. A portion of College Avenue was shut down to allow the ladder trucks enough room to get firefighters onto the roof of the building. Esler said the Waterville Police Department assisted by directing traffic. Two papermaking machines were damaged by the fire, and Esler estimated the machines would be repaired by the end of the day Monday. The employees were back in the building before noon.

The fire department responds to a number of calls annually to Huhtamaki, but Esler said this one was a little larger than most they respond to because it involved firefighters going onto the roof. However, outside of the damage to the papermakers, Esler said there was no structural damage and no injuries to either employees or firefighters. He said the building’s sprinkler system activated, which also “significantly reduced the fire load.” Esler commended everyone’s knowledge of the mill and safety precautions, saying the firefighters did a good job quickly responding to the fire.  “The guys did a great job,” Esler said. “I can’t say enough about them.”  Representatives from Huhtamaki were not available Monday for comment.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Plymouth, IN – Sprinkler system helps prevent damage from fire at fiberglass shop

Employees at a manufacturing business in Plymouth are cleaning up after a fire in the fiberglass shop.

Firefighters aren’t sure exactly what started it but employees at AK Industries say it was probably the chemicals used to make resin for the fiberglass. Those chemicals made for some thick, black smoke.

Employees won’t be able to go back to work till the building is aired out. The fire chief says a sprinkler system prevented worse damage.

“The fire was not out all the way. We went in and finished up with the sprinkler system could not get. So you know in a tight corners and crevices and things that we can’t reach we had to go in and dig it out,” said Plymouth Fire Chief, Rod Miller.

“I thought the whole building was going to catch on fire. You know, this is where we work and it’s almost Christmas,” said steel grinder, Guadalupe Sanzhez. The building is in pretty good shape. Employees say they think they’ll be back to work soon.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Kalamazoo, MI – Fire at aluminum alloy plant contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters rushed to put out a fire in the basement of a Kalamazoo county business over the weekend. The Comstock fire chief says a hydraulic press caught fire at Kaiser Aluminum Sunday morning.  That is part of the Mid-Link complex on Cork Street.  The fire caused a leak in the hydraulic line, which lead to fluid leaking on hot aluminum and catching fire.  A sprinkler system went off, which helped to keep the fire under control.  One piece of equipment was affected but no one was hurt.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Salisbury, NC – Fire at carpet padding manufacturer controlled with help from sprinkler system

Fire officials say a sprinkler system helped squelch an overnight fire at a local carpet padding manufacturer.  Multiple fire agencies responded to the fire after receiving a call around 9:20 p.m. Sunday at Walk-On Products Inc., 1170 Chuck Taylor Lane, located off Peeler Road. The fire was dispatched as a fire alarm.

City Fire Marshal Terry Smith said the reason for the three-alarm fire was because the building is so big they needed more resources.  He added that the sprinkler kept the fire in check, but it also created so much smoke that it made it a little difficult for fire personnel who were inside the structure.

The sprinkler also helped contain the fire to one area of the building. The building is large, Smith said, but the fire was only in a small portion of it.  Smith said he and another fire investigator would likely spend much of the day at the business as company personnel use forklifts to remove a lot of carpet foam before fire investigators can go inside.  The last time employees were inside the building was Friday, Smith said.  The fire was under control around 1 a.m. No injuries were reported. Fire officials say there was minor damage to the structure. The cause has not been determined.

The company rebonds carpet padding, supplies carpet padding for homes, commercial properties and the automotive industry, according to its website.   The company also manufactures cow mats, archery targets, foam buns and other foam products. It was founded in 2002.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Spring Hill, TN – Fire in air handler unit at GM plant contained by sprinkler system; 2nd sprinkler save at plant this year

The Columbia Fire Department was dispatched to the Spring Hill’s General Motors plant Thursday after an air handler unit caught fire within the facility. Columbia Fire Department’s Engine 5 and Truck 3 were dispatched to the scene at 8:29 p.m. along with Engine 1, Truck 1 and Rescue Vehicles 1 and 3, according to an incident report from the department.  A total of 17 personnel responded to the fire which occurred inside the facility’s Body Systems Building.

When the firefighters arrived, the Engine 5 crew lead by Capt. Monty Band entered the structure and climbed to the second floor mezzanine to the burning unit as the team from Tuck 3 used the vehicle’s extension ladder to check the facility’s roof. Interim Fire Chief Ty Cobb said all employees had been evacuated from the building before the firefighters arrived.  “There was a lot of smoke,” Station No. 5 Chief Tony Scott said. “We could see the smoke from the highway as we approached the building.”  Scott said the building’s sprinkler system activated and was able to successfully contain the flames before the firefighter’s extinguished it.

An estimated total has not yet been released by the department, but the firefighters reported there was minimal damage to the facility. “The guys that responded did a great job,” Scott said, crediting what he called a quick well choreographed response to on ongoing relationship between the Columbia Fire Department and the plant’s emergency personnel.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lee’s Summit, MO – Early morning fire in semi-conductor manufacturing facility held in check by sprinkler system

The fire originated in the piece of manufacturing equipment. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Brockton, MA – (No Media Coverage) – Fire from welding slag held in check by sprinkler system

***NO MEDIA COVERAGE – FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORTED*** On November 10, 2016 at 2209 hours a central station alarm was received for a large manufacturing 60,000 sq ft building on Jonathan Dr. The alarm call was followed up for a report of a sprinkler activation. On arrival crews found a fire caused by welders slag. The fire was held in check by the sprinkler system. Damage was minimal.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oxford, ME – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in knocking down fire at wood products manufacturer

Firefighters quickly knocked down flames at National Wood Products of Maine on Route 26 on Wednesday morning, Oxford Fire Chief Wayne Jones said. The fire was accidental, he said. No one was injured.  “The fire began in the area where the employees do the painting of their products,” Jones said. “They were doing some maintenance on the paint booth when the fire started.”  The fire was reported at 7:46 a.m.

The chief said the woodworking plant has a sprinkler system that “kept the fire intact” while the firefighters drove to the scene. “When you have a paint booth, there’s always the potential for an accidental fire, which is why businesses make sure those areas are explosion-proof,” Jones said. “It’s to prevent those types of fires from occurring or getting out of control, due to paint fumes or something else.”

National Wood Products of Maine supplies elaborate and simple furniture components and a wide variety of wood species, and produces finished furniture, ranging from juvenile furniture to adult lawn chairs. Jones praised the work for firefighters from Oxford, Norway, Paris, Mechanic Falls and Poland.

“All of the crews did a heck of a job of getting that fire knocked down as fast as possible,” Jones said.  Route 26 was closed while the departments extinguished the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Wellford, SC – Fire at chemical plant suppressed by sprinkler system; No injuries

Firefighters said Hazmat was initially called in after a fire broke out at a chemical plant in Spartanburg County Tuesday morning.  The fire broke out in a loading room at StarChem on Greenville Highway in Wellford, according to Startex Fire Chief Barry Ward.

The fire happened when a truck opened an equipment door and fumes from an open valve ignited.  The building was evacuated and the facility’s sprinkler system put out the fire.

Hazmat crews were called in to make sure no dangerous chemicals were involved and the water from the sprinkler system had not been contaminated.  Ward said Hazmat crews quickly determines there fire was not caused by a hazardous chemical.

No one was hurt in the fire.  Click here to read more about the StarChem plant’s manufacturing capabilities.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Wildwood, FL – Sprinkler system holds fire at bay at Crevalle Boat manufacturing building

Sumter County Fire & EMS were called Wednesday to a fire at Crevalle Boats in Wildwood.

Heavy smoke was spotted coming from the large commercial boat manufacturing structure at 1520 Industrial Drive, according to Sumter County Fire Chief Leland Greek.

“Due to the size of the building, and zero visibility from heavy smoke conditions, crews had significant difficulty locating the seat of the fire,” Greek said.

The building’s fire sprinkler system was able to hold the fire in check, until crews were able to locate, and extinguish the fire. 

The cause of the fire was determined to be unintentional, resulting from a chemical reaction to materials used in the manufacturing process, he said.