Category Archives: Manufacturing

Other - Manufacturing

Tilbury, ON, Canada – Industrial fire confined to point of origin by sprinkler system, Fire Chief says

Chatham-Kent firefighters tackled an industrial fire Saturday in Tilbury.  Officials say they first got the call shortly before 4pm, on a report of an activated fire alarm at 28 Mill St. W.  When firefighters arrived, they found the building filled with smoke and upgraded the call to a structure fire.  C-K Fire Assistant Chief Philip Thorburn said crews put a hose line into the building and found fire inside a piece of equipment. The fire was soon put out with the building’s sprinkler system confining it to the point of origin. Two C-K Fire companies responded to the incident. No injuries were reported. Damage estimates are at $10,000.

Other - Manufacturing, Recycling / Waste Facility

Fountain Inn, SC – Sprinkler systems keep fire outside plastics business from spreading into structures

Dispatchers said the fire was reported at Ameri-Pak at 477 S. Woods Drive before noon last Tuesday.   The fire burned an area between buildings, but the side of several buildings was singed.

Fire Chief Ronnie Myers said the fire burned mostly outside where the business takes in scrap plastics.  The fire was out within a few hours, but crews were still monitoring hot spots late Tuesday afternoon.  Officials said the sprinkler system went off in both buildings, which helped to contain most of the fire outside.  Several fire departments including Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg and Laurens assisted, Myers said.

“Once you get plastic burning, it’s very hot. It gets so hot, you can’t put it out with just water. You have to put foam on it to smother the fire. It was a very intense fire,” Fire Chief Ronnie Myers said.  Ameri-Pak is a packaging company. Its website says that the company services manufacturers including 3M, Sealed Air, Tape Logic, Rubbermaid and Ivex.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Evanston, IL – Sprinkler system holds factory fire in check; All workers evacuated safely

Fire struck an optical components factory at 1916 Greenleaf St. in Evanston last Friday afternoon.  The fire was first reported about 2:15 p.m. and Evanston fire crews had managed to bring it under control in less than half an hour.  All the workers in the building managed to get out safely on their own.  The fire apparently broke out in an area close to the roof, above the location of the building’s sprinkler heads.  The 16.000 square foot building houses Sterling Precision Optics which makes optical components and precision machined glass.  Fire crews from other communities including Skokie and Morton Grove were called in as backup for the Evanston crews.

Update 9:10 p.m.: Fire Division Chief Paul Polep says first companies arriving at the scene encountered heavy smoke and moderate fire conditions on the second floor of the building.  Upon making entry into the building fire companies observed an activated sprinkler system keeping the fire in check until crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire.  The business suffered significant smoke and water damage. There were no firefighter injuries. The cause of the fire still remains under investigation.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Salina, KS – Fire in mixing room at food supply company suppressed with help from sprinkler system; No injuries

A fire inside a mixing room at a Salina food supply company leads to over $200,000 in loss and damages.  Fire Marshal Troy Long with SFD tells KSAL News that the fire sprinkler system at McShares Food Supply & Equipment saved the company from further losses after a fire ignited just before 10:30pm Tuesday evening.

Long says smoke began pouring out of a mixing machine and auger. A handful of employees cleared the room before a small explosion and fireball triggered the sprinkler heads inside the facility at 1835 E. North Street. Fire crews used fans to clear the smoke out of the building. No one was injuredhttps://www.ksal.com/fireball-triggers-sprinklers-at-salina-plant/.

McShares supplies flour mixes for the food and baking industries.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oregon, OH – Overnight fire at auto parts manufacturer extinguished by sprinkler system

Employees at Autoneum in Oregon were forced to evacuate Friday morning after a machine caught on fire.  It happened just before 5AM inside the factory which is located at 645 Lallendorf Road in Oregon.  Oregon Fire officials tell 13abc the fire was out when firefighters arrived thanks to an overhead sprinkler system inside the building. No injuries were reported.

Employees were evacuated as a precaution and have since been allowed back inside. According to the company’s website, Autoneum produces noise and heat protection products for vehicles. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Holyoke, MA – Fire in paint booth of container plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

No injuries were reported early Thursday after a fire started in a paint booth inside a factory on North Bridge Street and spread to the roof.  The blaze at International Container Co., 110 North Bridge St., was reported shortly after 4 a.m., Fire Capt. Kevin Cavagnac said.

The fire spread from the paint booth to the roof via a vent pipe. It was quickly extinguished from inside the building and the firefighters cut open the roof around the vent pipe with power saws to check for and prevent further extension, Cavagnac said.

The spray booth has a sprinkler system which activated and set off the alarm system.  The cause of the fire is under investigation. The factory was in operation when it broke out.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Palm City, FL – Fire put out in less than 20 minutes thanks to sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Martin County Fire Rescue officials extinguished a fire at a business on Southwest 42nd Avenue, a fire rescue official said Tuesday.

Crews were called to a fire alarm at 8:10 p.m. Monday at the business in the 3300 block of Southwest 42nd Avenue, Division Chief Daniel Wouters said. The location is west of Florida’s Turnpike and north of Southwest Martin Highway.

The business was identified as PAC Seating Systems. It was closed Tuesday but will be open Wednesday, said Alyssa Eidson, HR account assistant at the business.

Wouters said an overhead sprinkler system held the fire in check, and firefighters finished putting it out. The fire was out in less than 20 minutes, he said.

The amount of damage was not immediately available.

The fire, which is being investigated by the state fire marshal, caused no injuries, Wouters said.

Food Processing, Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Norcross, GA – Fire at corn mill contained with help from sprinkler system; Exhaust pipe identified as origin of fire

An exhaust pipe in a corn mill and refinery is believed to have caused a fire at the Norcross business Friday afternoon. Firefighters responded at 12:28 p.m. to an automatic fire alarm at Olé Mexican Foods, Inc., which is located on Crescent Drive NW in unincorporated Norcross, after the alarm company told dispatch that multiple manual pull stations had been activated, said Justin Wilson, a spokesman for the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Several other people called 911 to report a fire on top of the building and smoke coming from the business as well, Wilson said, and on scene, firefighters found the six-story building with heavy smoke coming from the roof.

“Crews quickly deployed a high-rise pack to the fourth floor and connected to the building’s standpipe system,” he said. “The fire pump for the standpipe system was currently operating and the sprinkler system was active. A carbon dioxide extinguishing system also discharged on the fifth floor. Heavy smoke conditions and fire was located on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors.”

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire on all floors before redirecting to the roof, where the blaze was still active. “Before the fire could breach the affected (exhaust) system, copious amounts of water was applied to extinguish the blaze,” Wilson said. “The fire was contained to metal pipe used in a process to dry corn flakes prior to the refinery process. Crews began ventilating the residual smoke from the building using positive pressure fans.” Wilson said about 60 firefighters were on the scene due to the size and complexity of the incident and later determined that the fire originated on the fourth floor from malfunctioning equipment. He added that the corn flakes in the pipe contributed to the spread of flames inside the machinery. No injuries were reported and the fire was under control within two hours of arrival.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oshkosh, WI – Manufacturing fire ignited by static electricity is contained by sprinkler system

A fire inside the A.P. Nonweiler plant last Monday night that caused an evacuation was ignited by static electricity, the Oshkosh Fire Department said.

The fire department was called to 3321 County Road A. in Oshkosh just after 6 p.m. Monday. The plants sprinkler system was able to contain the fire until the department arrived to extinguish the remaining flames, a statement from the fire department said.

During the fire, water from the sprinkler system got into some titanium dioxide stored inside the building. This white powder substance is a harmless chemical used to whiten toothpaste and paint products.

The Oshkosh Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team and the Department of Natural Resources also responded to the fire to help assist in monitoring the titanium dioxide substance.

Area residents may notice a white residue on the ground and in nearby waterways from the powder in the building, but the fire department said the residue is harmless