Category Archives: Manufacturing Plant

Sprinklers save lives and property at manufacturing facility fire (Middlebury, IN)

After some equipment caught on fire at a wood manufacturing facility early Friday morning, four area fire departments arrived to fight the flames. 

Middlebury Fire Chief Jeff Wogoman said, “I figured we’d have a beast on our hands, but it went pretty smooth.”

The facility was equipped with fire sprinklers, which contained the the flames. 

“If they didn’t have a sprinkler system, it probably would have burned down,” Chief Wogoman said. “That’s what saved the building – that early control of the fire.”

Manufacturing plant fire contained by sprinklers (Salem, VA)

A machine caught on fire in a manufacturing facility on Friday night at about 10:15 p.m. No personnel were inside the building at the time of the fire, but the facility’s fire sprinkler system activated and controlled the fire until fire crews arrived in response to the fire alarm. Firefighters were able to douse the remaining flames within 15 minutes. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Manufacturing plant fire eliminated thanks to fire sprinklers (Seymour, IN)

No one was injured in a fire that broke out at an automobile parts manufacturing plant on Monday night. The fire began when an oil line on an injection mold machine malfunctioned; the exact cause of the malfunction is under investigation. Four to six of the building’s fire sprinklers activated, extinguishing the flames. No one was reported injured from the incident.

Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at manufacturing facility (Bremerton, WA)

An afternoon fire broke out at a boat manufacturing facility on Thursday, March 13, alerting fire crews who responded to the scene. The 12,000 square foot facility had such heavy smoke pouring out of it that fire personnel had to use a thermal imaging camera to locate the source of the fire. The building’s fire sprinkler had contained the fire to it’s source, a garbage can. Someone had placed resin, which generates heat, into the garbage can, which then ignited the fire. Near the garbage can were several 150-gallon buckets of resin, which if the fire had spread to them, would have ignited an inferno or explosion. Thanks to the building’s fire sprinklers, the facility and its contents remained in good shape, facility owner Stan Palmer said. No injuries were reported.

Fire sprinklers limit damage at manufacturing facility (Davenport, IA)

At about 8:45 a.m. on February 24, a fire was reported at a John Deere manufacturing facility. The incident began in the dust collection unit for a plasma cutting machine, and the fire sprinkler activated in that area, containing the fire until fire crews arrived. 

The plant was evacuated, and no injuries were reported. Personnel in the unaffected work areas were able to return within 20 minutes.

Chemical fire controlled by sprinkler system (Mansfield, TX)

A fire that began in a chemical vat at a manufacturing facility after 2 a.m. on Monday was contained by the building’s fire sprinkler system. A small amount of acid was released, which was quickly contained. Firefighters arrived to extinguish the remaining flames with foam. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but initial reports indicate that it may have been electrical. No injuries were reported.

Fire at manufacturing plant extinguished thanks to fire sprinklers (Chattanooga, TN)

NWA Plastics Company reported a fire on the afternoon Wednesday, January 8, when a motor used to power an air compressor overheated and caught on fire. The heat from the fire then activated a sprinkler head from the facility’s fire sprinkler system which then completely suppressed the fire prior to the arrival of six fire companies. No injuries were reported, and the damage was minimal.