Category Archives: Manufacturing Plant

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rochester, NY – Sprinkler system suppresses Christmas Eve fire at electronics manufacturer

A Rochester electronics manufacturer that suffered a Christmas Eve fire won’t be able to reopen Wednesday.  Instead, general manager Michael Schlehr said a few workers will be cleaning up and assessing the damage from a two-alarm fire Monday at Coast to Coast Circuits, 205 La Grange Ave.  Firefighters responded to an automatic alarm at around 4:30 p.m. Monday. Smoke was visible when the first crew arrived. A second alarm was called at 4:54 p.m. and a level 0 hazmat emergency also was called. The fire was under control at 5:36 p.m.

The business, which employs nearly 40 people, was closed for Christmas Eve.  “Nobody was hurt,” Schlehr said. “Nobody was affected physically. We’re thankful about that. In terms of the business, we’re very saddened. It’s a very tight-knit group of people.”  The facility is the New York division for Coast to Coast Circuits, which according to its website makes advanced printed circuit boards. Customers include the aerospace, defense, semiconductor, medical and wireless industries.  It was founded in 1974 and was called Metro Circuits before being rebranded a few years ago.  A division opened in Huntington Beach, California, in the early 1980s. In 1989, the two operations were incorporated into one privately held company, according to the website.

Schlehr, who also is chief financial officer of the company, said that 18 months ago, the ownership group was talked out of closing the La Grange site. Schlehr said the company downsized and turned things around. “Over the last 18 months we came together and did a great job. We became profitable consistently and the ownership group has really noticed that. We banded together and functioned as a team. It’s sad to see this happen.”

The building’s sprinkler system put out most of the fire.  “I can’t say enough about the city firefighters,” Schlehr said. “They were fabulous. They were there in force and strong. They kept us apprised all the time. They were very safe.”

Schlehr said he initially thought things weren’t too bad. “When you get in there, there’s a lot of damage. The smoke and the residue left by the smoke is very damaging to electronic equipment and circuit boards, and that’s our business.”  He said it may take several days to determine the condition of the high-tech and precision manufacturing equipment and the finished products.  “Unless it’s perfect, it’s unshippable,” he said. “That’s a concern.”

Schlehr said it’s too soon to know what caused the fire. According to a fire department news release, the fire began in the plate room. Fire spread to the roof, overhead vents and PVC pipes, compromising containers of sulfuric acid. The hazmat emergency was declared because water came into contact with the acid. Firefighters entered and contained the leaks.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Henrietta, NY – Fire contained by sprinkler system at manufacturing plant

A fire broke out Sunday morning at ORAFOL Precision Technology Solutions in Henrietta shortly after 6:30 a.m. .

The Henrietta Fire District said the fire was contained to an area of the building that contained an 800-gallon container of Sodium Hydroxide which is a chemical used in the manufacturing process to clean machinery.

According to fire crews, the fire was contained by the buildings fire sprinkler system but was not fully extinguished. Fire crews fully extinguished the fire quickly while using extinguishers and hose lines.

A Level 1 Haz-Mat was declared due to the chemicals involved in the fire and mixed in with the sprinkler water run-off, which brought a full response from the Monroe County Fire Bureau’s Haz-Mat team.

Henrietta Fire said there was never a threat to the public as a result of the fire or chemicals involved.

Crews will remain on site to monitor the air and water in addition to helping come up with a plan to clean the contaminated water from the building.

Henrietta Fire was assisted by Monroe County Sheriffs, the Monroe County Fire Bureau, Gates, Chili, Pittsford, Honeoye Falls, and East Avon fire departments; as well as CHS Ambulance and Monroe Ambulance. 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Hamilton, ON, Canada – Fire in dust collector at manufacturing facility contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Hamilton firefighters were called to National Steelcar for an early morning blaze.  Fire officials believe a spark ignited combustible materials in the company’s dust collection system.  The building’s sprinkler had the blaze under control when firefighters arrived, but crews had to open the dust collection system and remove the filter to put out the fire.  The flames didn’t spread to the rest of the building, and all employees managed to escape without injury.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Federalsburg, MD – Storage room fire in industrial building brought under control by sprinkler system; 200 employees safe

A fire in a storage room damaged a Caroline County industrial building on Tuesday night. The fire was reported at the Dart Plant at 1000 Industrial Park Drive shortly after 9:30 p.m. According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the building’s sprinkler system had the fire under control before firefighters with the Federalsburg Volunteer Fire Company arrived. Damage to the structure and its contents is estimated at $6,000. Fire investigators say about 200 employees were in the building at the time of the fire. There were no reported injuries. Investigators determined the fire started in a storage room above the plant’s maintenance shop. Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to contact the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Upper Eastern Regional Office 410-822-7609.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Chicago, IL – Sprinkler system assist firefighters in extinguishing fire at mattress factory

Chicago firefighters were called to a report of a fire in a mattress factory in West Garfield Park on Sunday morning, officials reported. About 7:40 a.m. emergency responders first were called to 4444 W. Ohio St. on the West Side for a report of a fire at a mattress factory. The building was evacuated and no one was reported injured, according to tweets from the Chicago Fire Department.  The fire later became a two-alarm fire, meaning additional resources were needed. In one tweet, the Chicago Fire Department said water was on the fire, both from a sprinkler system inside the building that activated and from firefighters trying to combat the flames. In another, officials said they were working to ventilate the building. In a tweet just after 9 a.m., officials reported the fire was out and an extensive ventilation and overhaul was in progress. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Altamont, IL – Fire in dust collector at manufacturing plan controlled by sprinkler system

Fire damaged a machine at an Altamont manufacturer on Monday.
Altamont firefighters were called to Irwin Telescopic, just west of the Effingham County Fairgrounds, at 12:20pm. Altamont Fire Chief Jon Becker said a dust collector in the south end of the building was the source of the fire. Apparently, a filter in the machine caught fire. A sprinkler system inside the machine activated, but the machine was still smoldering when firefighters arrived. Becker said there was smoke throughout the building, so personnel were evacuated until the building could be ventilated. Becker said the fire did an estimated $20,000 damage to the dust collector. He said there was no structural damage.  Altamont firefighters handled the call on their own, although Abbott EMS was there on standby and Altamont police checked in at the scene. Firefighters were on scene for about an hour.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Olean, NY – Machinery fire at cutlery manufacturer controlled with help from sprinkler system

No injuries were reported after the Olean Fire Department responded to a machinery fire at Cutco Tuesday night.  The initial response was made at 7:30 p.m. to a fire alarm at the main building of the cutlery manufacturer’s East State Street campus. According to Olean Fire Chief Robert Bell, the blaze, which occurred in a polishing room, was under control within approximately 15 minutes. A call indicating the alarm system had been reset came over the emergency scanner at 8:17 p.m.  “The employees at Cutco controlled the fire with a dry chemical fire extinguisher,” Bell said, adding sprinkler heads also helped contain the flames. “We showed up, we made entry, knocked down the remaining bits of the fire, and then helped with the mop-up.”  According to communications over the scanner, some material in the polishing room caught on fire when a buffer wheel ignited.  Bell said the damage was limited to that polishing machine, but the cost of the damage was unknown. He added that Cutco had two other polishing machines, so their operations would likely not be greatly affected.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

North Haven, CT – Sprinkler system activated in fire at manufacturing plant

Chief Paul Januszewski reports that the North Haven Fire Department battled an early morning fire at an industrial facility on Saturday, according to a news release.

Firefighters responded to the Parker-Hannifin Corporation, located at 33 Defco Park Road, at 3:11 a.m., after receiving a call from a police officer working a paid detail nearby. The officer reported smoke showing in the area. Upon arrival, firefighters had flames coming from the rear of a 32,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility.

The building’s sprinkler system had activated, but the fire alarm was not activated.

Fire was showing through the roof, and firefighters began an aggressive attack to attempt to limit the damage and keep the flames from spreading. Despite the cold weather doing its best hamper efforts, the crews were successful in stopping the fire, and containing the most serious damage to about 10 percent of the structure. The fire was declared under control at approximately 5 a.m.

No one was injured, but during firefighting efforts, it was determined that a large quantity of acids and other chemicals used in the manufacturing process were present at the scene and had spilled or leaked during the fire.

Chief Januszewski has declared a hazardous materials incident. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and a private environmental contracting company were called to the scene to access and clean the chemicals, and the North Haven Fire Department is providing decontamination for workers, as is standard procedure in these types of incidents.

“This was a challenging fire, with a large facility, bitterly cold conditions and the added element of unknown and potentially dangerous chemicals present at the scene,” Chief Januszewski said in a news release. “I would like to commend our overnight fire crews and mutual aid partners for working diligently to contain this fire to only one portion of the building, despite the fire’s head start with a non-functioning alarm system present in the building. Additionally, had it not been for the alert police officer in the area, the outcome may have been much worse.”

Officials believe at this time that the design of the building worked to mitigate any exposure of the chemicals to the ground and environment.

Interior operations and the fire investigation will begin a soon as all of the chemicals are identified and removed by the contractor.

Fire crews from Wallingford and Hamden also responded to the scene to provide mutual aid, and the North Branford Fire Department provided station coverage.

Once the cleanup is finished and fire investigation are underway, investigators will also look into why the fire alarm system, which had been inspected in the past calendar year, failed to notify the fire department. Chief Januszewski indicates that remodeling and construction work was taking place at the facility, and officials will investigate if that played any role in either the failure of the fire alarm of the outbreak of the fire.

Parker-Hannifin is a manufacturer of gaskets and seals for aircraft.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Chattanooga, TN – Fire at foam facility controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Chattanooga dispatchers confirm an early morning fire damaged a foam facility in Chattanooga.

This happened at Woodbridge INOAC Technical Products on Judd Road. 

Battalion Chief David Thompson Jr. said that when firefighters with Quint 10 arrived on the scene and confirmed they had a fire at the rear of the building, a second alarm was requested to bring in additional firefighters and equipment.

Chief Thompson said the fire was located in a stack of foam blocks. The building’s sprinkler system activated and helped to contain the spread of the flames. The fire was declared under control in about 45 minutes. No one was hurt.

CFD spokesman Bruce Garner says an estimate on the dollar loss was still being assessed, but most of the commercial business was spared any serious fire damage. The cause of the fire will be ruled accidental.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Knoxville, TN – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at plastics manufacturing plant

Rural Metro Fire responded to a fire at Republic Plastics on South National Drive around 5:30 Sunday evening.

When crews arrived on scene, they found a large smoke charged building and no evacuation in progress.

Rural Fire Metro said after their initial investigation, they found a roll of product that had been on fire but extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Officials said large fans in the building along with fans from the fire department were used to ventilate the building back to safe levels so employees could re-enter the building.

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation by Knox County Fire Investigators.