Category Archives: Manufacturing

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.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Rockingham, NC – Sprinkler system extinguishes plastics fire at packaging manufacturer

Firefighters didn’t have much fighting to do when they responded to an alarm at Direct Pack East late Wednesday night. Several bags of ground-up plastic caught fire at the manufacturing plant in the former Trane building on Airport Road, according to Bill Bayless, deputy chief of the East Rockingham Fire Department.

Crews from ERFD and Cordova responded after the call went out around 11:30, but Bayless said “the sprinkler system had it extinguished by the time we got there.” The only damage, he added, was to the bags — “It didn’t even smoke up the building.”

A front-end loader was brought in to take out the molten material where firefighters sprayed it down to make sure the hot spots were out. “We don’t know why they smoldered like that,” said Laura Murphy, vice president of marketing for Direct Pack. She said the company would be conducting an internal investigation into the cause.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

DeKalb, IL – Sprinkler system controls afternoon fire at manufacturing facility

Seven people were taken to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital for smoke inhalation on Wednesday after a fire at the Right Pointe Co. manufacturing facility, 234 Harvestore Drive.

The first call came in at 1:32 p.m., DeKalb Fire Capt. Luke Howieson said. A single engine company was first sent out, but after the department received reports of heavy black smoke coming out of the building, he said more resources were sent to the scene. “The fire was under control within 10 minutes,” Howieson said.  By 2 p.m., no smoke was visible outside the facility.

Howieson said the fire began in an area of the building where there is a lot of machinery. The sprinkler system was able to control the fire, and firefighters were able to contain the rest with fire extinguishers. One hand line was brought into the facility by firefighters, he said. The cause of the fire still is under investigation, Howieson said.

The Cortland and Sycamore fire departments sent ambulances to assist, and after paramedics checked out employees who were in the facility, seven were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, Howieson said. The rest of the employees waited in a parking lot across the street.

Right Pointe provides products for concrete and road construction professionals, according to its website, which says the company has been around for more than 80 years. It employs 77 people at the DeKalb location. DeKalb Fire Chief Eric Hicks said the company’s operations were able to continue after some equipment was moved around.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Lebanon, OR – Machinery and duct-work fire at manufacturer put out with help from sprinkler system

The Lebanon Fire District responded to the report of a structure fire at ENTEK Manufacturing around 9:40 p.m. last Tuesday.   Crews arrived to light smoke showing on arrival and evacuation in progress. There was a report of machinery on fire with extension into the duct work.

Lebanon firefighters stretched hose lines into the structure and extinguished the fire with the assistance of the sprinkler system. Firefighters remained on scene until about 1:30 a.m. evacuating smoke and checking for fire extension. Lebanon was assisted by the Albany, Sweet Home, and Tangent fire departments. There where no injuries reported at the incident. According to their website, ENTEK “sells lead-acid separators, lithium-ion separators, extruders, and engineering services on six continents.“

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Gaylord, MI – Overnight fire at plastic parts manufacturer controlled by sprinkler system

The Otsego County Fire Department responded to a fire at a business in Gaylord. Crews were called to Mayfair Plastics on Dickerson Road at 11:57 p.m. Sunday. The fire was contained to an area of plastic car parts near an electrical panel on the equipment. The fire was detected by an automatic alarm. The sprinkler system controlled the fire until the fire department arrived. No one was hurt and the fire was contained to a small area. According to someone who works at Mayfair Plastics, business is operating as normal.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Thunder Bay, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system extinguishes oil fire at sawmill

On November 20, 2017 , at approximately 3:30 pm, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue Service responded to the Resolute Saw Mill for a fire involving the heating system for the lumber drying kilns.

A total response of five pumpers and an aerial ladder, carrying twenty-one firefighters responded.

A power failure to the mill caused the circulating pump for the hot oil from the boiler to stop functioning. The circulating system was over pressured and the oil caught fire. The sprinkler system activated and extinguished the flames but the system remained pressurized and overheated.

After conferring with onsite staff, a plan was formulated to not interfere with the heating system and to let it cool naturally. Fire crews remained on scene until the oil had cooled to a safe temperature and the mill staff was confident the danger of fire or explosion had passed.

Staff will continue to monitor the system overnight and make assessments as to damage and repair costs in the morning.