Category Archives: Manufacturing Plant

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Winchester, VA – Sprinkler system controls fire at manufacturing plant; No injuries reported

Kingspan Insulation management credits alert employees, the company’s sprinkler system and a prompt response by firefighters for limiting damage from a warehouse fire reported at 6:09 p.m. on Sunday.

Jamey Walters, Kingspan plant manager, said on Monday that Kingspan frequently does emergency preparedness training including fire drills. “We have a very strong safety culture and situations like this show how strong it is,” he said.

No one was hurt in the fire at the plant at 200 Kingspan Way off Martinsburg Pike (U.S. 11). The fire was accidental and occurred during the insulation manufacturing process, according to a news release from Lt. Adam Hounshell, a deputy fire marshal with the Frederick County Fire and Rescue Department. The first firefighters arrived at 6:18 p.m. and found smoke in the warehouse. They extinguished the fire at 6:50 p.m. and removed the burnt insulation. Some of the charred insulation could be seen outside the warehouse on Monday.

Walters said about 130 people work at the 170,000-square-foot facility and about 20 were working when the fire began. He said when the foam insulation caught fire there were “significant flames” that workers tried to put out with fire extinguishers before evacuating when they realized the magnitude of the fire. The sprinkler system then activated and is credited by the fire department for arresting the spread of the fire.

The facility originally opened as Amoco Foam Products and was later purchased by the Pactiv Corp. Kingspan bought the facility in 2014.

Walters said Sunday’s fire was the worst since Kingspan bought the property, but there were a few serious fires in 1990s and 2000s. He said fire is a risk due to the combustibility of insulation.

“Which is why we take fire prevention so seriously,” said Doug Crawford, Kingspan managing director. “It is a real risk.”

A damage estimate was unavailable on Monday. The warehouse, which opened in 1981, is valued at $9.1 million, according to county property records.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Graham, NC – Fire sprinklers keep fire under control at gas plant

A fire on Thursday at Luxfer Gas Cylinders on Riverbend Road prompted two alarms that brought three fire departments to the scene.

The Graham Fire Department was called by a fire alarm and several 911 calls to Luxfer Gas Cylinders at 235 Riverbend Rd., Graham, just before 2 p.m., according to a department news release.

After getting more information, the department requested a second alarm, and the Sweponville and Mebane fire departments and Alamance County Fire Marshal’s Office also came to the scene.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the plant. The sprinkler system kept the fire contained until firefighters could enter the building and put the fire out.

Fire was contained to the machine where it started, but the plant suffered moderate smoke damage. Damage to the building and equipment was estimated at $250,000.

All the occupants had gotten out of the building. One employee was treated at the scene, but refused to be transported to the hospital.

The Graham Fire Department and Count Fire Marshal’s Office investigated and ruled it accidental.

Graham Police and the Haw River Fire Department also helped at the scene.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Wayne, NJ – Sprinkler system helps contain fire caused by pallet full of rubber pellets; No injuries reported

All five Wayne volunteer fire companies responded to a structure fire at the Royal Adhesive plant on Burgess Place in Wayne on Friday afternoon.  

Royal Adhesive is a commercial plant that manufactures specialty adhesive products that are used in all industries.  “This site houses numerous hazardous products and always put the Fire Department and EMS on guard when we are called to the site,” said Bob Minnarick the Wayne Fire Commissioner. 

Initially, Wayne Fire Companies 1 and 2 were summoned by the first alarm, but as more calls came, reporting smoke coming from the building, a second alarm was raised and Fire Companies 3 and 5 came to the scene.  Once it was confirmed that there was a sprinkler activation in the plant and two pull stations were activated, Wayne went to a third alarm activating Company 4. 

At the same time the Wayne Special Response Team (SRT) the Hazmat team was activated. 

The Royal Adhesive management team informed the Fire Department that the substances in the area of the fire were not hazardous materials which made the job easier for the volunteers. 

With the help of the in-house sprinkler system, the fire was extinguished in thirty minutes.  The burning pallets of rubber pellets was extinguished and subsequently removed from the production area. 

The sprinkler company responded to the scene and replaced the activated heads and recharge the system.  The alarm system was able to be reset and placed back into operation.  The fire was declared under control at 2:11pm.  The last fire unit cleared the scene at 3:43pm. 

Ten pieces of apparatus responded to the scene and Company 4 stood by  for coverage.  There were no injuries and approximately forty firefighters responded to the scene.   

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Mineral Wells, TX – Sprinkler system helps contain fire after chemical explosions at industrial park; No injuries reported

Several chemical explosions rocked the Industrial Park area near Mineral Wells High School early Monday afternoon.

No injuries were reported to workers or firefighters as a result of three explosions at Buckley Oil Company on S.E. Industrial Parkway, off U.S. Highway 180 East adjacent to Southwire, Reeder Distributors and Mineral Wells Fire Department Station No. 2.

Three explosions were reported around 1:15 p.m., and heavy, black toxic smoke billowed from the property – which became a concern though conditions were such that the smoke rose largely straight into the air and dissipated. Mineral Wells ISD was not in session Monday so there were no health or safety concerns about high school students or faculty.

Mineral Wells Fire Chief Mike Pool said five workers were inside a large covered, but not totally enclosed, area preparing what he described as two 600-gallon totes containing volatile chemicals heptane and toluene. Heptane is a main component of gasoline, while toluene is a gasoline additive and is used as a solvent.

“They are very volatile,” Pool said of the chemicals. “They have a very low flashpoint.”

With low humidity, Pool said the working theory is a static electrical charge sparked a flash fire. He said that is not an official cause and an investigation into what ignited the chemicals and caused the fire remains under investigation.

“It definitely was an accident,” said Pool. “It wasn’t intentional.”

A high-density sprinkler system inside the covered area dumped large amounts of water quickly on the fire, Pool said. He said firefighters were able to quickly respond and spray the area down with a smothering foam. The fire was brought under control within about 30 minutes and within an hour was out, leaving a large clean up operation.

The chief said weather conditions and the quick response helped prevent the fire from becoming worse. He said it is also likely the chemicals burned up quickly.

“It was probably a best case scenario,” Pools said. “Our people and equipment were available.”

He said it was also fortunate the five employees were able to escape uninjured.

“The smoke and wind was something I was concerned about,” Pool said of the scene’s initial assessment. “I thought we might have to evacuate Southwire and Reeder.”

Pool said he believes chemical runoff was contained thanks to the parking lot’s design and a containment tank. He said he was unsure about the eastside of the property where there was no access. Pool said the company would bring in an environmental team to assess and clean up.

“I don’t think we had an issue,” he said.

Because it was a chemical fire firefighters and equipment involved were put through portable decontamination showers at the scene and personnel were instructed to completely shower immediately so as not to possibly spread chemicals elsewhere.

“If we are exposed we have to decontaminate people and gear,” Pool said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Canby, OR – Fire at horticultural manufacturer controlled by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

No one was injured in a one-alarm fire that broke out on SW Berg Parkway in Canby Friday. The blaze originated bat OBC Northwest, a manufacturer and distributor of nursery, greenhouse and horticultural supplies.

The fire was active and staff had already evacuated when Canby Fire crews arrived on the scene, Division Chief Matt English said. The building’s sprinkler system kicked on and helped control the fire’s spread until CFD extinguished it.

Canby Police assisted in closing Berg Parkway for a short time to give CFD access to a nearby fire hydrant.

“We received mutual aid from Aurora, Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue, and Clackamas Fire District 1,” English said. “The Canby Fire Rehab group also responded to take care of the firefighters on scene.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Tecumseh, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system puts out fire caused by piece of machinery

An industrial building in Tecumseh had to be evacuated after a piece of machinery caught fire.

The Tecumseh fire department reported the blaze at 5245 Burke St. shortly before 6 p.m. on Friday and said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke inside. Fire officials said the sprinkler system activated and quickly put out the fire.

Fire crews remained on scene at around 7 p.m. to clear smoke from the production area of the plant.

The production shift has been cancelled, fire officials said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Williamsport, PA – Fire that started inside machine contained by sprinkler activation

All employees at Lycoming Engines at High and Oliver streets in the city were safely evacuated when a deburring machine caught fire on the first floor about 10 a.m. Monday, city Deputy Chief Dave Dymeck said.

The fire activated a sprinkler that helped contain it, Dymeck said, adding that firefighters donned self-contained breathing apparatuses, entered the mammoth complex with hoses and had the fire out in 30 minutes.

Employees were allowed back in once the building was declared safe, Dymeck.

“This was an accidental fire,” he said, adding that fire damage was confined to the machine.

Second alarm companies from Old Lycoming Township and South Williamsport were called to the scene as a precautionary measure.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Franklin, IN – Fire at local business contained to storage room thanks to fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A business in Franklin’s commercial district sustained damage in a Sunday night fire.

Franklin firefighters were dispatched to BCC Products, 2140 Earlywood Drive, on a general business alarm at 5:26 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they could not see any fire from the outside of the business, said Chuck Ridpath, spokesman for the Franklin Fire Department.

Firefighters got into the building and saw heavy smoke. After about 30 minutes of searching the building for the fire, firefighters were led to a wire rack where a gallon container of liquid was on fire, Ridpath said.

The sprinkler system in the building contained the fire to the storage room, he said, and once fire fighters located the fire, it was put out in minutes.

No one was injured in the blaze and investigators are still looking into the exact cause of the fire. The monetary damage of the fire was unknown mid-Monday morning, Ridpath said.

Greenwood’s hazmat team was called to contain chemicals that had spilled. The Indiana Department of Emergency Management is investigating what chemicals leaked, because firefighters came into contact with those chemicals, he said.

“There is no danger to the public. It is more of the guys that were there to see if there is anything that can be bad for them,” Ridpath said.

Firefighters from Bargersville, Whiteland, New Whitehead and Amity also responded to the fire. Firefighters from Needham covered Franklin’s station during the fire, he said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Watertown, NY – Sprinkler system at manufacturing facility extinguishes fire

A sprinkler system inside a Watertown manufacturing facility did its job late Wednesday afternoon and put out a small fire.

Firefighters were called to the Jefferson County Industrial Park off outer Coffeen Street to Allied Motion a little before 3 p.m.

Fire officials told 7 News a spark from equipment in a testing and quality control room set off a small fire above a drop-down ceiling.

The sprinkler system put out the fire, but firefighters had to do smoke removal.

Fire officials say damage was moderate. The building was evacuated.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

South Elgin, IL -Fire at manufacturing plant controlled by fire sprinkler activation; No injuries reported

A fire at a manufacturing plant in South Elgin caused no injuries and did not involve hazardous chemicals, fire officials said.

The South Elgin & Countryside Fire Protection District responded at 8:27 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a structure fire at Marble Works, 1601 N. La Fox St., Assistant Fire Chief Mike Rothecker said in a news release Wednesday.

Firefighters were met by two employees outside the 15,000-square-foot building who said there was a large fire inside the manufacturing plant. The employees said there were some hazardous chemicals near the fire, the release said.

Firefighters entered, saw heavy smoke and requested additional help. Fire departments from Elgin, Bartlett, Fox River Fire, Pingree Grove and Elburn assisted at the scene. Departments from Hanover Park, Geneva, Hampshire and West Dundee filled in at the South Elgin fire stations.

The fire was in the warehouse area of the manufacturing plant building, Rothecker said. The building’s fire sprinkler system was activated by the fire and contained the flames until firefighters extinguished it in about 40 minutes.

Members of the South Elgin fire district’s hazardous materials team determined there were no hazardous chemicals involved in the fire, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.