Category Archives: Manufacturing

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.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Bristol, IN – Sprinkler system keeps fire at bay at RV manufacturing plant

A fire along the toll road in Bristol on Saturday destroyed a motor coach parked inside the Renegade RV plant.

“The sprinkling system did its job by keeping it at bay until we could get in and take care of the problem,” said Nik Kantz, chief of the Bristol Fire Department.

But firefighters could not save the luxury RV that was swallowed by flames around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Kantz said it took crews a couple of hours to put out because of poor visibility.

“When you’re in a factory like that and you don’t really know the layout and where they put motor coaches and trailers and things, it’s kind of hard if you can’t see your hand in front of your face,” he said. “And it’s smoky and hot, and you’re not sure what’s on the other side of the wall there; it just takes a little bit of time.”

Five departments, 15 trucks, and about 30 firefighters responded to the scene.

More than 9,000 gallons of water was needed to extinguish the fire.

Luckily, nobody was hurt.

“The last worker left early around lunchtime [Saturday], I believe,” Kantz said.

He said the cause of the fire is being investigated.

The sprinkler system managed to keep the flames contained to the one RV, so the building it was in is ok.

Workers can return on Sunday.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Lawrence, MA – Sprinkler system helps stop fire at food distribution center

Prompt action by firefighters Wednesday evening saved a former mill building that now houses two food distribution companies, according to fire Chief Brian Moriarty.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries but is expected to fully recover, the chief said. No civilians were hurt.

A working fire in the building at 85 Manchester St. was reported by telephone at 6 p.m. Engine 7, based at the nearby Park Street firehouse, was the first to respond. The second alarm brought all Lawrence engines to the scene, plus crews from Salem, New Hampshire, and Andover.

Ladder 4 sprayed water on the roof while other engines attacked the fire from different positions.

Engine 5, connected to a hydrant on Broadway, pumped water to the other trucks through about 1,000 feet of 6-inch hose.

Damage was contained to the roof, Moriarty said. The roof, with an old-fashioned sawtooth style, proved to be a challenge, he added.

The thick roof, measuring at least 6 inches and constructed of planks and rubber, was “a very tough area,” Moriarty said.

A sprinkler head in the building helped bring the fire under control, he said. Firefighters began leaving the scene by 8 p.m.

The two food distribution companies are Bulk Services and Dragon Joy. City health inspectors were assessing the building Wednesday night to determine whether employees can report for work Thursday, Deputy Chief John McInnis said.

The employees of the nearby Microsemi Corp., 6 Lake St., were evacuated. Police blocked Broadway between Park and Manchester streets while firefighters suppressed the blaze.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Springfield, TN – Paint booth fire at manufacturer of material handling equipment doused by sprinkler system

This is an update following our live broadcast from Unarco earlier today. Employees at Unarco Material Handling Inc in Springfield were evacuated this morning after a fire erupted in the part of the plant where paint is applied, officials said.

When the Springfield Fire Department arrived heavy smoke and some fire was showing from the back of the plant, according to Springfield Fire Chief Jimmy Hamill.  Unarco is located on 16th Ave East in Springfield behind the Royal Inn. The call to 911 came in at 10:22 am Friday Morning.

According to Hamill, the fire was in the Paint-Line. Firefighters were able to knock down most the fire quickly but to fully access the fire a hole had to be cut in the roof. “Fortunately the sprinkler system had the fire in check. There was still quite a bit of fire but the Sprinkler system kept it contained to one area,” Hamil said.

According to Hamill, Unarco has an excellent safety record. “They have been in business for a long time and have excellent maintenance and safety people including good evacuation procedures. The cause of this fire is still under investigation but the last fire at Unarco was back in the late 90’s. When we arrived they had everyone evacuated and a representative was able to get with me, quickly, and tell me what exactly they had going on.” Hamill said.

Today’s fire damaged about 5% of the plant, Hamill said. Hamill said the rest of the plant was undamaged and employees should be able to go back to work.

The Emergency Management Agency assisted Springfield Fire and Robertson County EMS was on standby but no injuries were reported.

Hamill said he’s proud of the work the firefighters and officers did today.

Below is a recording of our live broadcast.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Henrico, VA – Fire at cosmetics plant controlled with help from sprinkler system

The Henrico Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at a cosmetic plant in the 2300 block of Darbytown Road early Monday.  Dozens of firefighters were called to the scene at the Fareva plant at 4:21 a.m. Fire officials said the blaze appeared to have started from a piece of machinery in the rear of the warehouse.  Fire officials said the sprinkler system helped contain the fire, but did not put it out. Crews cut holes in the roof to allow for ventilation.

At 6 a.m., fire officials said the fire was out and that crews will remain on the scene for at least a couple of more hours.  Fareva specializes in make-up products. The blaze was not expected to cause any major disruptions to production at the facility.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Kalamazoo, MI – (No Media Coverage) Fire damage minimized at paper plant thanks to sprinkler system

***No Media Coverage – Fire Department Reported*** On Friday October 6, 2017 a sprinkler activated and successfully kept a paper manufacturing plant operational.

Paper from recycling collection points had been compacted into bales. The bales were awaiting to be made into pulp and were in transitional storage. A fire started within the bales. The sprinkler system activated and kept the fire minimized while employees of the Fire Brigade and Kalamazoo Public Safety arrived and overhauled the bales.

Due to the sprinkler system the plant remained in operation and the employees are still working making paper.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Brandon, MB, Canada – Overnight fire at food processing plant suppressed with help from sprinkler system

Brandon firefighters and police responded to a report of a fire at the Maple Leaf Foods plant at 2:36 a.m. Tuesday morning. In a brief phone call this morning, Capt. Wade Ritchie confirmed news of the fire, which burned deep inside the hog processing plant. Ritchie said there was heavy smoke coming out when firefighters arrived on scene.  Brandon firefighters and police responded to a fire at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brandon in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Oct. 3. No injuries have been reported.  Details regarding the nature of the fire were not yet available this morning, though Richie stated that the sprinkler system activated within the building, aiding efforts to douse the blaze.  Both police and firefighters said there were no injuries reported to authorities.

Brandon Police Sgt. Dave Andrews told the Sun that the fire was not considered to be suspicious in nature. Police attended the scene shortly after the fire began, but soon ended their involvement on scene.More information is expected later this morning.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Henrico, VA – Fire at Nabisco plant contained with help from sprinkler system

Henrico fire officials say a small fire forced the evacuation of the Nabisco plant on Laburnum Avenue on Friday morning.  The fire appears to have been contained by sprinklers.  Fire officials say there is some water damage, and firefighters are working to turn off all the sprinkler and clear out the water.  The evacuation for the employees was lifted in about an hour.  There were no traffic impacts in the area.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Winston-Salem, NC – Sprinklers contain fire in 850,000 sq. ft. furniture plant; No injuries reported

A fire at the United Furniture Industries plant on Hanes Mill Road on Wednesday morning forced the evacuation of the 850,000-square-foot building, with no injuries reported after Winston-Salem firefighting crews extinguished the fire. The fire department stayed on the scene most of the afternoon, checking over the area where the fire occurred in the rear of the building on its southwest side. The fire was called in about 11:44 a.m.

Company spokesman Robert Cottam said the fire is believed to have been caused by a short circuit in some medium-voltage wiring. Insurance and fire investigators will be coming to the plant today to continue the fire investigation, he said. “We lost some furniture and have some smelly smoke damage, but we can fix that,” Cottam said. “We had no injuries and the evacuation went as planned.”

The fire started in a part of the plant where finished furniture items are kept prior to shipping them out. “There were flames visible,” Cottam said. “There were sofas on fire. It was not an excessively large fire, contained to about a 10-by-12- foot area. The Winston-Salem Fire Department did a great job. Our sprinkler system worked as it was supposed to.” Cottam said there would be a “significant product loss” of 7,000 to 10,000 pieces of upholstered furniture.

“That is in one section of the plant, but the others are going to be fine,” he said. “The inventory is not a total loss.” The fire was under control by 12:30 p.m.

Roger Brown, who works in a different part of the plant from where the fire occurred, said that he got right out when the alarm sounded. “We didn’t see smoke when we were in the place,” Brown said. “Once we got outside we could see black smoke billowing.”

Brown said he and other workers were told to take the rest of the day off and that the plant would be closed today.

Cottam said production will also probably not take place on Friday and that production at the plant would probably be up and running again on Monday. Distribution could be back in gear by Friday afternoon or sooner, he said.

United’s facility on Hanes Mill Road, formerly known as Hanesbrands’ Weeks plant, specializes in making promotional upholstery — lower-cost items used to draw customers into a store — and vinyl furniture in the $299 to $699 range.

United has about 350 employees at the 850,000-square-foot plant at 401 W. Hanes Mill Road.

When Hanes Hosiery Mills Co. opened the Weeks plant in 1960, it was the largest manufacturing plant in North Carolina. Hanes Hosiery spent about $30 million on the plant, which would be about $245 million in today’s dollars, according to calculations from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.