Category Archives: Manufacturing

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Spokane, WA – Sprinkler system helps firefighters contain fire at boat trailer builder

Spokane Fire crews responded to a report of a fire at EZ Loader Boat Trailers Friday morning.  The call came in at 8:24 a.m. Crews said initial reports stated somebody was using a cutting torch to cut something metallic. A spark caught a portion of an 8 foot by 10 foot wall on fire.  Fire crews had to pull the wall apart to get to the fire behind. Crews had to do this to keep the fire from extending to the roof.  Crews used hose lines and a pump can to extinguish the fire. Officials said the sprinkler system inside the building went off properly and contributed to keeping the fire contained to one part of the building.   No one was injured in the fire and EZ Loader Boat Trailers will continue business as normal Friday. 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Hannibal, MO – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in early morning fire at rubber plant

An early Monday morning fire at Buckhorn Rubber Plant in Hannibal was ruled accidental in nature, according to Hannibal fire investigators. Hannibal Fire Department said crews were called to the plant at 3:39 a.m. for a report of a machine on fire.  HFD Investigator Mark Kempker said when firefighters arrived workers were outside the building and the fire had set off the building’s sprinkler system.  Kempker said it took firefighters about 10 minutes to put the fire out completely.  Crews stayed on scene for about an hour.  Following an investigation, Kempker said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction in the control panel of a machine. 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Salem, VA – Overnight fire at tire manufacturer controlled with help from sprinkler system

A fire at Yokohama Tire Corp. in Salem early Friday morning damaged part of the facility. Salem Fire & EMS went to the building in the 1500 block of Indiana Street about 2 a.m., according to the department. All employees inside the facility were safely evacuated.  The fire started at a mixer machine in the plant, according to a statement from the company. The sprinkler system was triggered. The type of rubber that caught fire causes a lot of smoke, the company said.  The first crew arrived within six minutes of the call and found heavy fire coming from one side of the building. The two-alarm fire also required assistance from Roanoke Fire-EMS and Roanoke County Fire & Rescue. The first firefighters on scene were able to get the fire under control within about 30 minutes.

The fire was contained to one part of the building, which sustained significant damage from the fire. Damage from the fire required extensive salvage and overhaul operations. An estimate of the damage was not available Friday morning. The plant was shut down at 4 a.m. and most areas of the plant resumed operations Friday morning, the company said.  About 32 people from fire and rescue agencies responded to the call. No injuries were reported.  The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Salem plant manufactures passenger, high-performance and light-truck tires and is one of Salem’s largest employers.

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Kent, WA – Fire in deep fryer at food processing plant contained with help from sprinkler system

A fire that broke out at a food processing plant in Kent Friday night was accidental, a Puget Sound Fire investigator says.  The fire was reported around 10:50 p.m. and started in a deep fryer, Kyle Ohashi with the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority said.   Firefighters arrived to find flames reaching to the top of the two-story building.   An automatic sprinkler held the fire in check until firefighters were able to put out the flames, Ohashi said.   70 employees were evacuated from the building. Ohashi said the company determined that everyone escaped safety.  No injuries were reported.  At least a portion of the plant will be shut down for an undetermined period of time while crews clean up the scene, Ohashi said.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Montville, CT – Overnight fire at packaging manufacturer limited by sprinkler system

An overnight fire at Rand-Whitney Containerboard caused minimal damage and no injuries despite extreme cold, according to Fire Marshal Ray Occhialini.  Occhialini said firefighters were called to the 370 Route 163 company about 1 a.m. after a machine that rolls and cuts the company’s cardboard liner paper malfunctioned, causing the paper to tangle and catch fire.

Occhialini said sprinklers in the building, which he described as the complex’s newer, paper machine building, held the fire “in check” until crews arrived to put it out completely.  He estimated firefighters spent about two hours working inside the building and then another hour or so cleaning up ice-laden equipment and spreading ice melt around the area.

“It was a cold night,” Occhialini said.  No firefighters or employees were injured. Rand-Whitney already has arranged for a company to replace sprinkler heads and has begun replacing electrical components damaged by flames or water, Occhialini said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Kitchener, ON, Canada – Sprinklers extinguish fire at Colt Canada firearms manufacturing plant; No injuries

The Colt Canada firearms manufacturing plant in Kitchener was evacuated Thursday morning due to a fire inside the building.

Firefighters were called to the Wilson Avenue facility around 8:30 a.m.When they arrived, they found that the fire had already been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

Water from the sprinklers damaged some computers. Damaged is estimated at $10,000 to $20,000.

Fire officials say the fire began when workers were test firing casings, one of which landed in “residual matter.”

No injuries were reported.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Chesterfield, VA – Early morning fire in metal press at aluminum plant doused by sprinkler system

An aluminum plant in Chesterfield is operating normally again after a fire broke out inside one of the plant’s machines early Wednesday morning. The fire happened around 4:45 a.m. at the Kaiser plant located in the 1900 block of Reymet Road, near Interstate 95 and Route 288. Crews arrived the scene around 4:52 a.m.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered a metal press had caught fire. Officials say the sprinkler system kept the fire mostly contained. The fire was marked under control at 5:53 a.m. Fire officials say there was a concern for the safety of the crews because of the heat from the aluminum. There was also concern firefighters could get shocked because of all electricity used the power the machinery, and the water being used to douse the flames.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Crews worked with plant personnel to make sure all power was shut off from the machines and spent part of Wednesday morning ventilating the building.  There is no word yet on what caused the fire.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Rutland, VT – Firefighters credit sprinkler system with extinguishing fire at manufacturing business

State officials say a sprinkler system, designed to suppress fires, might have helped to contain a fire in a city building last week. According to a statement released by the Vermont Department of Public Safety’s Division of Fire Safety, the fire was reported on Feb. 16 at Questech Labs, a business within GSM Properties on Park Street in Rutland.

The Rutland City Fire Department responded to alarms at the building about 8:50 p.m. The first of the firefighters who reached the scene said they heard fire alarms sounding and smelled something burning that seemed to be coming from the second floor. There were also light smoke conditions at the scene, the statement said.

Firefighting crew members noticed heavier smoke conditions and the sound of sprinklers dispensing water in the Questech offices on the second floor. Inside, they found two sprinkler heads had activated, which firefighters believed was responsible for extinguishing the fire within the room.  The offices were ventilated by firefighters and the sprinkler system was turned off. Firefighters found no other fire within the offices.

The origin of fire was found next to a shop vacuum cleaner but the cause has not been determined and no estimate is yet available for the damage. However, initial reports indicate damage was limited to water and smoke inside the office.  Rutland Deputy Fire Chief Brad LaFaso said Tuesday that he wasn’t one of the firefighters on scene Feb. 16, but he understood it was a small fire and there were no injuries involved in the incident.

The statement pointed out that GSM Properties is a large industrial building that provides space for Green Mountain Window, the Vermont Food Bank, Stratabond and Tatum’s Totes. The companies, which collectively employ about 85 people, were able to open as scheduled Feb. 17. “This event illustrates the benefits of a properly installed and maintained fire sprinkler system. The fire was contained to the point of origin, which minimized property damage, curtailed the risk to first responders and ensured businesses in the building could open as usual and employees had a place to work,” the statement said.

LaFaso called sprinkler systems “very important.” He said in many fires, the suppression system keeps the fire in check and limits the hazards the firefighters will face when bringing it under control. Michael Desrochers, executive director of the Vermont Division of Fire Safety, said he had been in the business for almost 30 years. Across that span, he has seen many examples that illustrate the importance of sprinkler system.  “ Automatic sprinkler systems that are properly installed and maintained are likely to contain a fire to the point of origin, reducing property damage and loss of life. A properly installed and maintained sprinkler system will prevent flashover from occurring inside the structure, reducing the risk of first responders being injured,” he said.  During a flashover, a number of very hot objects or surfaces can burst into flames in an enclosed area because of the high temperatures during a fire.

Desrochers said a fire department will likely use a lot more water to contain a fire than the amount of water from a sprinkler head. He pointed out that a sprinkler system can have an economic advantage by protecting buildings, many of them commercial, where people work. In a state such as Vermont, Desrochers said, they can also protect buildings with historic value that cannot be replaced.  Many buildings, especially commercial buildings, may require sprinkler systems based on their use, size and commercial materials, Desrochers said.

A call to Questech was not returned on Tuesday. According to its website, the company makes decorative tiles based on hand-carved designs, made of “a proprietary composite that uses premium metal or natural stone” to be used in interior walls.  The company has about 65 employees.

More information about sprinkler systems in Vermont is available online at www.firesafety.vermont.gov.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Vinton, VA – Sprinkler system halts fire in maintenance closet at fabric manufactuer

Firefighters responded to a small fire at Precision Fabrics in Vinton on Saturday night.

The fire caused no injuries and had been extinguished by a sprinkler system by the time units arrived, said Lt. Richard Williams of Roanoke County Fire & Rescue.

The incident, which occurred at about 10 p.m., didn’t damage the facility at 323 W. Virginia Ave., he said.

“It was like a plastic bucket of materials that caught on fire, not the actual structure,” he said. The fire occurred in a maintenance closet in an outlying part of the facility, he said.

Fire units from Roanoke, Roanoke County and Vinton responded to the incident.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Keene, NH – Fire in dust collector at metal fabricator controlled with help from sprinkler system

No one was injured in a fire at EVS Metal in Keene last Friday morning. A dust collector caught fire, according to Keene Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Chickering. Fire officials believe sparks from the work of nearby employees ignited the fire, he said.  Chickering did not know how many workers were in the building at the time of the fire, but all got out safely.  There was some heat damage within a 15-foot radius of the dust collector, and the fire set off two sprinkler heads, he said. Damage is estimated at $15,000, he said.  In addition to Keene, the Brattleboro, Spofford and Swanzey fire departments responded.  EVS Metal is a precision sheet metal fabricator.