Category Archives: Manufacturing Plant

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Kansas City, KS – Sprinklers help extinguish oil fire at GM Fairfax plant

A Wednesday night fire at the General Motors Fairfax plant caused an estimated $600,000 in damage, according to the Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department.

Sparks from a welding torch ignited lubricating oil stored inside a paint shop at the plant in the 3200 block of Fairfax Trafficway, according to the fire department.

The building’s sprinkler system doused most of the flames. Firefighters extinguished burning oil on the surface of standing water from the sprinklers.

The fire department reported about $100,000 in damage to the structure and $500,000 in damage to its contents.

No injuries were reported.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Merrifield, MN – Sprinklers contain fire at metal stamping business to front entry

Five fire departments quickly mobilized Tuesday night to tackle what could have been a commercial structure nightmare, but a sprinkler system did its work. Flames were visible out the front entrance of a two-story vestibule at Clow Stamping. The fire was reported at 9:04 p.m. Tuesday.

Twyla Flaws, Clow Stamping personnel manager, said at least 70 employees were working in the plant at the time and evacuated without incident. The fire call came between shifts as another crew comes in for the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift. Flaws said it’s not unusual for the 10 p.m. crew members to arrive early and she thought one of those early arrivals may have been the one to spot the fire.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Pasadena, CA – Fire at plastics plant extinguished by sprinkler system; No injuries

A small fire broke out at a high-tech plastics company Tuesday evening, prompting a hazardous materials investigation. No one was injured. The building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire within about 10 minutes.

Around 6:20 p.m., a small explosion at the Materia facility located at 89 N. San Gabriel Blvd. caused the fire, which was contained to a heating device in the building, said Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. The device is used to heat plastic materials, Derderian said. “There was a light odor for a small amount of time but our specialists determined there was no hazard,” she said. Fire officials remained on scene until about 7:50 p.m. to restore the system. Twelve employees were inside the building when the fire started and safely evacuated, Derderian said. Fire officials did not have a damage estimate Tuesday night.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Romeo, MI – Fire at Ford engine plant contained with help from sprinkler system

The Ford Engine Plant in Romeo was evacuated Friday afternoon due to a fire that drew firefighters from seven local departments.  Capt. David Faulker of the Bruce-Romeo Fire Department said firefighters extinguished a blaze that started on machinery and spread to the ventilation system in a section of the plant.  Firefighters used fire hoses to spray water on flames from inside and the plant’s sprinkler system also activated.  There were no injuries. 

The fire was declared under control about 3:45 p.m.  Faulker said he could not speculate on the cause or amount of damage.  “It’s under investigation,” he said.  Ford officials could not be located to comment on whether production was scheduled to resume later in the night.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lexington, KY – 3 a.m. fire at manufacturing plant knocked down by sprinkler system

Sprinklers stopped a fire from spreading at a plant in Lexington.  The fire started just after 3 a.m. Monday at Interplex Plastics on Brentwood Court.  Firefighters say when they arrived, the fire was already knocked down by the sprinkler system in the plant.

No one was in the plant at the time of the fire.  An arson investigator was called to the scene.  No word yet on a possible cause.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Garden City, MI – Factory fire contained with help from two activated sprinkler heads

Garden City firefighters responded to a fire at about 5:30 a.m. after receiving a call that fire was coming through the roof of a manufacturing plant on Industrial Drive.  As a result of the fire and heat, two sprinkler heads had activated prior to the arrival of the firefighters.

En route, the department learned that all employees had evacuated the building. The firefighters observed steam coming from the roof on the northeast corner and light smoke inside of the building.

“Initially the incident commander, Captain Gary Gallo, was told by bystanders that flames were visible from the roof prior to our arrival,” Garden City Fire Chief Catherine Harman said. “They were met at the front of the building by a supervisor who reported a piece of equipment designed to burn off excess coating from their product was emitting heavy fire. He reported employees tried to extinguish it without success. He then turned off the ventilation units on the roof and to the machine that was on fire.”

Firefighters found the door to the equipment closed. When they opened it, they saw heavy smoke but no flames. Harman said that utility supply to the equipment was turned off and the unit was cooled with a hand line. After cooling it down, the firefighters re-checked and there was no excessive heat. The door to the equipment was closed, and firefighters continued to use the cooling heads inside of the unit, supplied by the water supply lines, to continue cooling the equipment.

The supervisor said that he and another worker noticed the fire and he shut down the power to the unit and attempted to extinguish the fire with extinguishers without success. He then turned off the ventilation system and exited the building. “We have advised the company to immediately contact the fire department anytime there is a fire before attempting to extinguish it,” Harman said. “We’d rather get there sooner than later.”

There were no injuries as a result of the fire and no one suffered any problems due to the extreme cold, Harman said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Franklin, TN – Single sprinkler extinguishes factory fire; No injuries and operations resume quickly

(NO MEDIA – FIRE DEPT REPORTED):
A single fire sprinkler head extinguished a factory fire this morning, protecting the 300,000 square foot facility and more than 150 workers. The fire started around 7:45 a.m. at Lasko, 300 Confederate Dr., which produces box fans each day. Franklin Fire Investigator Josh Sanders said the fire started after a high pressure paint line ruptured near an ignition source.   The fire activated a single fire sprinkler head, which triggered the fire alarm system, prompting evacuation of the plant and shutting down production. Work was able to resume in less than two hours. Sanders estimated the damage at $5,000. No one was injured.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Hillsville, VA – Sprinklers help contain fire at manufacturing company

Fire crews cleared the scene of a fire at about 9 p.m. Saturday night at Magnolia Manufacturing in Hillsville. Hillsville Volunteer Fire Dept. Asst. Chief Mike Musser said the fire got into two locations referred to as filter houses. Musser said the suppression system inside Magnolia is top of the line and the sprinklers helped knock down the fire and contain it to the two filter houses as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

Fire crews from Hillsville, Galax, Willis, Barren Springs, Carroll County Fire & Rescue, and Laurel Fork were among those on the scene. Firefighters worked for about an hour-and-a-half to clear the scene. Generally fires at Magnolia are contained to one filter house or one machine, he said. Heavy smoke was visible from as far away as Hard Scuffle Road when the fire was at its peak.

Musser said there was significant damage but he wasn’t sure of the extent. He said supervisors and plant managers said the particular plant where the fire occurred would be shut down for a while. Magnolia in Hillsville has four plants at the location. There were no reports of injuries at the scene. All in all, Musser said firefighting efforts were a success.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Dalton, GA – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer Shiroki contained by sprinklers

A fire Friday afternoon at Shiroki North America on Veterans Drive was quickly brought under control, according to Dalton Fire Chief Bruce Satterfield. The fire broke out in a small room where workers were putting coating on car parts at about 1:20 p.m.

Satterfield said a spark in one of the plant’s filter systems ignited the fire. The fire activated two sprinkler heads in that room and “they really kept the fire down,” he added.

The responding crews handled the response without calling for additional help and the fire was under control in less than 10 minutes, Satterfield said. He estimated the damage to the filter system to be around $15,000. Satterfield credited the company for keeping its fire safety equipment in good condition. There were no injuries.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Washington, MO – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at cabinet manufacturer; No injuries reported

Union fire officials said a blaze in a paint booth at a local business Wednesday did not spread because of the sprinklers in the facility. Fire crews were dispatched to Shaw’s Cabinets, 6520 Meyer Drive, at 3:17 p.m. for the fire. Crews from Washington Fire Department also were called to the scene. Fire Chief Russ Hamilton said the fire was quickly knocked down.

 “The sprinkler head is designed to keep the fire from coming out of the booth, and that’s exactly what it did,” he said. “It kept it from coming out and nearly extinguished it.” There were no injuries in the fire, Hamilton added.