Category Archives: Manufacturing

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Erie, PA – Foundry fire knocked down by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Firefighters made quick work of an early-morning fire at an Erie foundry. It happened around 1:20 a.m. at Keystone Foundry on West 12th, in between Plum and Cascade streets. When crews got to the scene, it was a fire from one of the foundry’s furnaces that started spreading to the roof. “All in all, the fire was knocked down mainly by the sprinkler system,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Fahey. “We’re just kind of cleaning up and making sure it didn’t extend anywhere else.” No one was hurt.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Colorado Springs, CO – Sprinkler system activated for fire caused by a cigarette

A smoker nearly destroyed the Foxworth-Galbraith building in Colorado Springs, according to fire investigators.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department is reporting the sprinkler system played a major role in saving the building in the 4000 block of Interpark Dr. near Austin Bluffs Parkway and I-25. The sprinkler system set off an automatic alarm that called firefighters to the scene on April 13 at about 3:30 in the morning.

When crews arrived in the area they noticed smoke coming from the roof-line of the building. Firefighters were able to gain access to the property but had issues with finding a working hydrant.

“The CSFD identifies the sprinkler system activation as a success story for this structure,” Public Information Officer with the fire department Capt. Brian Vaughan wrote. “Without proper activation, this building may have ended in a total loss to the structure or worse considering life safety due to the occupancy and fuel loading. Colorado Springs Utilities is investigating the City hydrant failure currently and CSFD Fire Inspectors have inspected the site previously for loading too close to hydrants and are in the process of re-inspection for compliance moving forward.”

There were no injuries reported after 48 firefighters were called to the scene. The cause was due to “careless disposal of cigarettes” according to the fire department.

The fire department provided the following tips for smoking safety:

1-Always provide enough sturdy, fire and weatherproof, non-tipping, outdoor ashtrays for employees and house guests

2-Make sure your outdoor smoking area does not slope towards any structure

3- Do not toss cigarettes out of any vehicle that you are driving or while you are walking at any time or anywhere. It is a fire hazard, and it is also littering

4-Never toss a cigarette into landscaping, yards, drains, on decks, or driveways and roadways

5-If you smoke cigarettes responsibly and always discard them in the fire-safe receptacle, then you can prevent fires

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Green Bay, WI – Sprinkler system extinguished fire at packaging facility; No injuries reported

No one is hurt after an overnight fire at Green Bay Packaging in Green Bay. All the employees evacuated safely.

Firefighters say they found smoke when they arrived at the Radisson Street plant just after 9:30 Wednesday night, but it took some time to find the flames in the large building.

Fire crews from Howard and other communities surrounding Green Bay responded. They worked at the scene for several hours.

The fire was contained to a dust-collection unit on the roof, and was put out by a sprinkler system. Officials don’t yet have an estimate on how much damage the fire caused.

The fire generated so much smoke, Brown County Sheriff’s officials used the fan from the department’s air boat to clear it.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Colorado Springs, CO – Sprinkler system activated for fire at manufacturing building

The Colorado Springs Fire Department was called to a structure fire in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Smoke was visible from the manufacturing building Foxworth-Galbraith Truss & Wall Systems on Interpark Dr. but no flames were reported.

CSFD said the buildings’ smoke detectors and sprinkler systems were activated but the fire hydrants nearby were not working properly.

Firefighters had to call for back up and quickly began to ventilate the building.

Investigators are working to determine what caused the fire and the extent of any damages.

We will continue to monitor the developments and bring you the latest updates.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Spirit Lake, IA – Sprinkler system contained fire at motorcycle manufacturing plant

A fire broke out at the Polaris Industries Spirit Lake facility on April 10. Polaris owns Indian Motorcycle, and the facility is used to build the motorcycles. The fire started in near the paint station in the facility. The building’s sprinkler system took care of the flames near the ground.

While most of the fire was put out by the sprinkler system, the fire department did have to go in and extinguish some flames. The insulation in the ceiling of the building caught fire, according to RideApart, and that caused quite a lot of smoke. The fire department had to enlist the help of another fire department with the proper equipment to enter the building due to the level of smoke. It then had to ventilate the building to get the smoke out.

RideApart notes the Spirit Lake facility caught fire before. The previous fire happened in September of 2018. That fire, too, started in the paint area of the facility. After that fire, production was able to resume the same day. After this fire, production halted for one day, but it was set to resume on April 11.

Polaris Industries mentioned no delivery delays. I’m assuming everyone will get their Indian bike on time. With more than one fire stemming from the same area of the facility, maybe Indian should take a second look at its safety protocols.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Yuma, AZ – Sprinkler system contains fire to machinery at paper company

The Yuma Fire Department responded to a fire at the International Paper Company last Friday night. YFD said they arrived at around 8:15 p.m. and discovered that machinery inside the building was on fire, and the fire suppression sprinkler system was keeping the fire contained. The fire was originally discovered by employees working at the facility who initially attempted to extinguish the fire themselves. When their efforts were not successful, a manual pull station alarm was activated, according to YFD. Shortly after that, YFD said the heat from the fire began to activate the sprinkler heads which contained the fire to the machinery where the fire had started. Fire damage was limited to the area of the machinery, and the ceiling area above. However, YFD said the open spaces of the building sustained additional smoke damage. No injuries to employees or YFD personnel were reported.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

North Okanagan, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activated for fire at sawmill

Quick-thinking employees and a fire suppression system saved the day at a North Okanagan sawmill Saturday.

The Lumby Fire Department were called to a fire at the Tolko WhiteValley mill at 7:30 p.m.

Fire Chief Tony Clayton said two night watchmen were already dousing the flames with water and the sprinkler system had been activated, saving the day.

“They did a really good job,” said Clayton, adding once fire crews got there they were able to knock down the flames quickly. “They kept it to the area of origin before we got there.”

Clayton said there was potential for the fire to spread and it could have been a lot worse.

The fire has been determined accidental and some mill equipment sustained damage.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Holyoke, MA – Machinery fire at medical device manufacturer is contained by sprinkler system

A machine at a company which manufactures medical devices caught fire Tuesday afternoon. No one was injured in the blaze, which was contained to one machine at Marox Corp., on 373 Whitney Ave., Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said. The fire was reported at about 2 p.m. and sprinklers in the building prevented the fire from spreading from the machine, he said. The fire caused minimal damage to the building, but utilities were shut off temporarily because of the water from the sprinkler system, he said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Nashua, NH – Factory fire held in check by sprinkler system; Firefighters extinguish blaze

Fire officials credited the sprinkler system in a large Crown Street factory with holding a smoky fire at bay until firefighters were able to get inside and attack the source of the flames late Saturday night. Capt. Karl Gerhard said crews responded shortly after 10 p.m. to Greenerd Press & Machine Co., 41 Crown St., after an activated sprinkler head triggered the building’s fire alarm system. At first, Gerhard said, firefighters found no indication of smoke or fire on three sides of the building. However, upon entering a secured fenced-off portion of the property and checking the fourth side, they cold see heavy smoke inside and water flowing from the sprinkler.

Crews forced their way in, and were met with “a heavy smoke condition” that caused “near-zero visibility,” Gerhard said. Due in large part to the size of the building, Gerhard said officials called for a working-fire response, which brought an additional engine and ladder truck to the scene. Meanwhile, firefighters, operating a hose line, made their way to the fire, which, Gerhard said, was being kept in check by water from the sprinkler.

Crews promptly extinguished the fire, which was declared under control 19 minutes after the first dispatch. Gerhard said crews spent an hour setting up large fans to remove smoke from the building. Nobody was inside at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported. Gerhard said it appears the fire damage is minor, and that Greenerd employees will be able to conduct business as usual.

He said fire officials, after investigating the scene, ruled the fire accidental. Its likely cause, Gerhard said, was the improper disposal of rags containing chemicals used for staining, which resulted in spontaneous combustion. He pointed out the importance of reading and following manufacturers’ instructions regarding the proper disposal of cleaning rags, and cloths and rags used to apply finishing products.