Category Archives: Manufacturing

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Pocatello, ID – Sprinkler system helps firefighters control blaze at food processing plant

Firefighters responded to a fire at the Amy’s Kitchen food processing plant on the city’s north side early Wednesday morning.

The fire was reported around 3 a.m. and triggered a massive response by the Pocatello Fire Department.

The fire was declared to be out around 4:10 a.m. and firefighters said the plant’s sprinkler system helped them gain the upper hand on the blaze. There were no injuries.

The blaze started in the plant’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and caused minor damage to the facility, the Fire Department reported. Smoke flowed from the plant’s roof but no flames were visible from outside the plant.

The fire also resulted in the plant’s evacuation.

The Fire Department said that because of dangerously high carbon monoxide levels in the plant caused by the fire, the plant’s workers were not allowed back into facility until approximately 8:30 a.m.

The firefighters focused their efforts on the portion of the Amy’s Kitchen plant nearest to West Quinn Road and a Fire Department ladder truck provided firefighters access to the plant’s roof in this area.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the cost of the damage caused by the blaze was not known.

The Fire Department said the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation but the blaze was definitely unintentional.

In response to the fire, Amy’s Kitchen issued a statement saying the company is grateful that no one was hurt during the fire. The company also thanked the firefighters who responded to the scene.

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our team in Pocatello and the local fire department for their quick response and help in evacuating everyone safely out of the building,” the statement read.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lincoln, NE – Overnight fire at metal finishing company held in check with help from sprinkler system

Lincoln Fire and Rescue said nobody was injured in an early morning fire in southwest Lincoln.  LFR responded to a fire at Lincoln Industries just after 2 a.m. Thursday. Fire officials said boxes in an area that holds chemicals were on fire. A sprinkler system helped keep the fire in check and fire crews were able to put the rest out.

LFR told 10/11 situations like this are a challenge because of hazardous materials. Crews have to be careful about water runoff. Employees at the plant were able to evacuate safely and even helped fire crews in making their efforts a success.  The fire did shut down south Folsom from D to Rosa Parks, but it has since reopened.

Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the fire.  Lincoln Industries bills itself as the largest and most diverse privately-held metal finishing company in North America.

Other - Manufacturing

Brown Deer, WI – Fire in industrial building extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

An automatic sprinkler system helped quell a late night fire in an industrial building in Brown Deer Saturday. According to the North Shore Fire Department, crews were called to an industrial building at N 55th Street and W Brown Deer Road around 9:50 PM. Firefighters encountered heavy smoke as they entered the building. Fire officials said the automatic sprinkler system was able to extinguish the fire as firefighters arrived. Crews remained on scene for about 90 minutes. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Officials report extensive water and smoke damage to the building but yet to determine a dollar amount of the damage. No firefighters were injured and no one was in the building at the time of the fire.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Houston, TX – Electrical fire in industrial building knocked down by sprinkler system

A fire that damaged a building in a northwest Houston industrial area Wednesday night was likely electrical, officials said.

The Houston Fire Department was initially called out to reports of a fire in a building around 9:40 p.m. at the intersection of Fairway Park Drive and Mitchelldale Street, just northwest of Loop 610 along U.S. 290.

There are a variety of commercial buildings and single-story offices in the vicinity of the building. The business housed there, Aramsco, is a rental provider of equipment for restoration companies.

Firefighters had to cut their way in through garage doors, and they found fire along a wall that separates an office and warehouse. The fire was extinguished quickly.

The sprinkler system went off and had already taken care of much of the fire, fire department officials said.

The arson division is investigating, but the incident could have been an electrical fire, officials said.

No injuries were reported.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Stratford, CT – Sprinklers help contain fire at business caused by malfunctioning fluorescent light

A malfunctioning light fixture is the apparent cause of a Wednesday night fire on East Main Street.  Firefighters were called at about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday from an employee of Ashcroft Inc., who reported that there was a fire inside the building located at 250 East Main St. Several second shift workers told the Stratford Fire Marshal’s Office that worsening smoke conditions were visible inside the production area.

Nearby employees evacuated the facility and some used three portable fire extinguishers to control the fire. Fire department officials said the building’s sprinkler system was activated due to worsening conditions, which held the fire in check until firefighters arrived at 10: 27 p.m.  Firefighters under the command of Assistant Chief Timothy Brennan extinguished the fire a short time later. Power was cut to the affected area of the building, fire officials said.

No injuries were reported. The fire marshal’s office investigator determined the cause of the fire was a malfunctioning fluorescent light fixture. Firefighters cleared the scene by 12:08 a.m. Thursday.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Mishawaka, IN – Fire in test booth at manufacturing facility is extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire broke out at AM General’s Mishawaka plant last Friday morning, causing an evacuation of employees.  According to our partners at WSBT, Penn Township Fire Department responded to the call from AM General’s H1 plant around 8:30 a.m. today. Upon arrival the firefighters found that the plant’s sprinkler system had extinguished the fire after two to three minutes. AM General spokeswoman Deborah Reyes said in an email that the fire was confined to a vehicle roll test booth, and caused “negligible impact to the production process as it was halted during the fire inspection.” No injuries or illness were reported. Reyes said the company will make temporary adjustments to its production process without the use of the roll test booth, and added that the company’s safety drills and tests were successfully executed.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Cambridge Springs, PA – Sprinklers help minimize damage in compressor room fire at manufacturer

A fire that occurred the evening of Feb. 5 at Lord Corp. in Cambridge Springs caused minimal damage, according to Cambridge Springs Volunteer Fire Department Jeff Murdock.  Cambridge Springs firefighters were called to a structure fire at Lord Corp. at 5 p.m., according to Murdock.  When crews arrived they found heavy smoke and a small fire coming from a compressor located on a mezzanine area, Murdock said.  The fire was declared out by 5:35, Murdock said. The sprinkler system in the building activated, which caused some water damage to a break room and restroom located under the sprinklers, according to Murdock.

A crew working in the building noticed the smoke and evacuated, according to Murdock.  “As they were evacuating they saw the fire start,” he said.  The fire is considered to be accidental due to an overheated motor and belt, Murdock said.  Cambridge Springs firemen were assisted at the scene by volunteer crews from Venango, Saegertown, West Mead 2 and Edinboro. Meadville Area Ambulance Service was also at the scene.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Quesnel, BC, Canada – Early morning fire at sawmill controlled by plant’s sprinkler system

A fire at Tolko Mills on Two Mile Flat had Quesnel Volunteer Firefighters out in force at 2:30 a.m. today (Jan. 17).  A total of 18 fire department personnel attended, along with three engines and one ladder truck, says director of emergency services Sylvain Gauthier.  The fire was in the main sawmill, and was contained to this area by the mill’s sprinkler system. There was some damage to the mill’s structure and to electrical wiring.  Gauthier told the Observer that the fire was caused by a spark from a welder.  The Quesnel Fire Department was on the scene for just over three hours. Representatives at Tolko have said they are doing their best to get the mill back up and running as quickly as possible. This could happen as early as this afternoon or tomorrow (Jan. 18).

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Salem, OH – Sprinkler system brings chemical fire under control at manufacturing facility

Investigators say a fire forced the evacuation of a Salem manufacturer and shut down one of the production lines.

According to the Salem Fire Department, crews were called out to American Standard on South Ellsworth Avenue shortly before 4:30 am Tuesday when a machine caught fire on the third floor.

Workers were evacuated from the building.

First firefighters on the scene saw smoke coming from the side of the building and called out Perry Township firefighters to assist.

According to investigators, the building’s sprinkler system brought the fire under control and no one was injured.

It’s believed the fire may have started from a chemical reaction.

Damage to the burned machine is estimated at $50,000.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Portland, OR – Fire at castings manufacturer suppressed by sprinkler system

A sprinkler system is credited with dousing a commercial fire in Southeast Portland on Sunday morning.  Portland Fire & Rescue crews were called out to the Precision Castparts building on SE Harney near Johnson Creek Boulevard.  Crews say a broken steam pipe leaked water which ended up creating an electrical hazard and sparking a small fire. After the fire was out crews set about fixing the leak.