Category Archives: Manufacturing

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.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Palatine, IL – Fire at plating company controlled with help from automatic sprinkler system

An automatic sprinkler helped control a fire that broke out Wednesday night at a manufacturing plant in Palatine, authorities said Thursday. Firefighters were dispatched to the Arlington Plating Co., 600 S. Vermont St., at 10:43 p.m. and upon arrival found smoke from the fire as well as water from an automatic sprinkler that had activated, according to a news release. The fire was declared under control at 11:01 p.m., officials said. Crews stayed on scene into the early morning hours to ventilate the building and perform salvage, overhaul and investigative activities.

One employee suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. It was the second fire in less than a week in Palatine that was controlled by an automatic sprinkler, authorities said. A sprinkler was activated in a downtown condominium fire March 14. The fire Wednesday night was contained to the area where it started, though a cost estimate of damages wasn’t available. Authorities said the cause remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Glen Falls, NY – Fire at tissue paper mill contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters from several local departments responded to a fire at the Essity Tissue mill in South Glens Falls late Sunday and early Monday, but the mill was up and running as of Monday morning. The fire was initially reported as a fire in a conveyor. No injuries were reported.

No exterior damage was evident from the blaze, which was reported around 10 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters from South Glens Falls, Hudson Falls and West Glens Falls were called to the scene, and remained there until 1 a.m. or so. Calls to the mill and the South Glens Falls Fire Department were not immediately returned Monday morning.

A public relations company emailed a statement later Monday that reported no part of the building was damaged, and the plant’s sprinkler system was triggered by a fire caused by an electrical issue. “No part of the building was damaged. An electrical junction box shorted and the arc caused a fire along the tray just below the roof. The facility was evacuated as a precaution,” plant manager Steve Duell was quoted in the statement as saying. The mill has had a history of small machine fires, with six between 2007 and 2012.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Hawkesbury, ON, Canada – Fire at thermoplastics manufacturing plant contained with help from sprinkler system

There was a minor fire at the Prémoulé thermoplastics plant on Tessier Street in Hawkesbury last Friday evening. According to the Hawkesbury Fire Department, the call arrived at 9:14 p.m. and the fire happened inside the plant. Nobody was working inside at the time and the building’s sprinkler system functioned properly. Firefighters quickly had the situation under control, but the smell of smoke remained outside the plant. The Champlain Fire Department station in L’Orignal was called for assistance as there was some concern at the beginning about having enough firefighters available to respond. Once the fire was under control, Hawkesbury firefighters were going to go into the plant to investigate the cause. According to Plant Director Steve Kennedy, 91 people work at the facility. He said the cost of the fire could not be verified and that on Monday, everything at the plant was back to normal. Prémoulé manufactures countertops and cupboard doors.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Bowling Green, OH – Fire in large manufacturing facility extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire in a compressor at a Bowling Green business caused the evacuation of the building. The Bowling Green Fire Division was called to Vehtek, 2125 Wood-Bridge Blvd., at 12:56 p.m. Sunday for a fire in the southeast corner of the plant. The division sent two engines and its aerial truck, but the building’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire before their arrival.

It was a large fire in the second-floor production area, said Fire Chief Bill Moorman. His crews stayed on scene to shut the sprinkler system off and evacuate the smoke. Middleton Township Fire responded with automatic aid with two vehicles and Medic 120 also responded. Fire crews left the scene at 1:44 p.m.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Harrisburg, PA – Sprinkler system limits spread of fire in exhaust stack at industrial facility

A Wednesday last night fire at a Harrisburg industrial site damaged a roof and exhaust stack, but no one was injured as a result of the blaze. That is according to Harrisburg Bureau of Fire Chief Brian Enterline, who said firefighters were called about 9:38 p.m. to the 1300 block of North Cameron Street, where a fire was reported at the Dayton Parts building. According to Enterline, the fire began in an industrial machine and spread up through an exhaust stack to the building’s roof.

Firefighters were able to respond within only a few minutes of the call, and they quickly extinguished the flames, Enterline said, explaining that the exhaust stack was destroyed but damage to the roof was only “superficial.”

A sprinkler system also activated and helped to slow the fire as it spread, Enterline said. While fighting the fire, water got into a large tank holding oil typically used to cool hot metal parts at Dayton, Enterline said. The water caused the tanks to overflow and spill oil, he said. However, he added that quick actions by both firefighters and Dayton employees helped to keep the oil from entering the local sewer system or nearby Paxton Creek. “It’s all contained to the building,” Enterline said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Winona, MN – Fire at manufacturing plant contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A pallet loaded too close to a radiant heater in the storage shipment area of Behrens Manufacturing caught fire early Friday morning, triggering three sprinkler heads and causing some structural and water damage.

The Winona Fire Department responded to the scene at 1250 E. Sanborn St. at 5:13 a.m. after being notified by the building’s internal alarm system, according to fire chief Curt Bittle. The department paged in all of its off-duty firefighters to total 18 responding.

The scene was cleared at 7:37 a.m., Bittle said, with much of the time devoted to clearing up water damage from the sprinklers that had kept the flames contained to the storage area. Firefighters put out what was left of the blaze upon their arrival.

There were no injuries and the fire was an accidental one, according to Bittle. A monetary assessment of the damages had not been done as of Friday morning.

After the crew conducted air monitoring to determine whether the building’s day shift could report to work, Behrens chose to cancel its 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift, Bittle said, but he expected the shift beginning at 3 p.m. would run as usual.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Beloit, WI – Cooker fire at Kettle Foods contained by sprinkler system

A cooker fire was reported early this morning at Kettle Foods in the 3100 block of Kettle Way, and no injuries were reported, according to the Beloit Fire Department.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. and all employees were evacuated prior to the department arriving on scene. Crews observed light smoking from the smoke stacks, and the fire was contained to the cooking area. A sprinkler system was activated and helped contain the small blaze.

A damage estimate wasn’t available as of press time, but the department said it’s expected to “be a significant dollar amount due to the piece of equipment” that caught fire, according to a department Facebook post.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Employees returned to work at around 6 a.m.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rockford, IL – Fire at machining manufacturer is doused by sprinkler system

A local business’ sprinkler system prevents thousands of dollars of damage after an early morning fire. The blaze broke out at Barnes International on Chestnut Street shortly before 1:00 last Wednesday morning. According to Rockford Fire, crews saw smoke from the building, but most of the flames were extinguished by a sprinkler system, limiting the damage and allowing firefighters to put out the remaining blaze with fire extinguishers. Officals say the fire was accidental, and no one was hurt.