Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Eugene, OR – Fire at Weyerhaeuser lumber products plant contained by sprinkler system April 15, 2016 viking210 A fire that caused minor damage to a Weyerhaeuser plant Saturday night in west Eugene started accidentally, officials said Monday. Eugene Springfield fire investigators say the blaze at the plant on North Bertelsen Road sparked in a piece of normally operating equipment. The fire was contained by the plant’s sprinkler system and later extinguished by firefighters. The fire was reported at 10:39 p.m. A number of the plant’s employees were evacuated, but no injuries were reported, fire officials said. A Weyerhaeuser spokesman said Sunday that crews were making repairs but that the fire did not cause long-term damage to the plant, which is expected to reopen in the near future. The plant employs about 170 workers, the company spokesman said. Lumber products including joists and beams are made at the west Eugene plant
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Athol, MA – Fire at casket factory extinguished by sprinkler system April 13, 2016 viking210 A fire that broke out at an Athol casket factory Sunday evening is considered suspicious. Athol firefighters received a call around 5:34 p.m. reporting possible smoke and flames at the Cambium Corp. casket factory at 339 Main St. The department responded with two engines, a ladder truck and a command vehicle, and found a smoky odor on arrival, according to a department press release. Smoke was seen on the first floor, but the fire was found to have been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system. MedStar Ambulance assisted with evacuating one person from the neighboring building as a precaution. Police Lt. Kevin Heath said the fire is being considered suspicious because it started outside the building in a pile of sawdust. Athol police and fire personnel continue to investigate, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey R. Parker. Orange and Royalston firefighters responded to assist, while Templeton Fire covered the Athol station
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Smithers, BC, Canada – Arson fire at sawmill controlled by sprinkler system April 7, 2016 viking210 A 49-year-old man is reportedly in police custody, in connection with two fires at the Pacific Inland Resources sawmill in Smithers. RCMP and the Smithers Fire Department were called to the mill shortly after 10pm last night. Fire chief Keith Stecko says mill employees activated fire supression systems quickly. “PIR has a sprinkler system in its building so the system quickly detected the fire and was able to control it; when we arrived we put out some spot fires, but the sprinklers largely did the work,” he said. Stecko says it appears some sort of accelerant was used — and there was considerable damage. “We’re estimating between $50,000 to perhaps $100,000; we are currently investigating what was used to start the fire, so we’re not sure at this point what it was,” he said.
Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility Colorado Springs, CO – Coal dust fire at power plant extinguished by sprinkler system March 26, 2016 viking210 A coal dust fire at the Drake Power Plant in Colorado Springs was quickly put out by the plant’s fire suppression system Thursday. Employees have been evacuated and are safe. Firefighters are investigating. The downtown plant was badly damaged by a different fire in May of 2014.
Other - Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Lexington, KY – Fire at wood truss manufacturer controlled by sprinkler system March 25, 2016 viking210 Lexington firefighters believe dry conditions may have contributed to the quick spread of a fire Tuesday night that damaged the Bluegrass Truss Co building on Lima Drive. The fire department got a call from the building’s alarm company about 6:20 p.m. about smoke alarms going off, Battalion Chief Mark Harvey said. One person was in the building and called to confirm there was a fire when he saw the warehouse was filling with smoke. Harvey said the fire likely started in a container for discarded cigarettes. The fire was ruled as an accident. The flames spread quickly up a side wall and into the roof and trusses, Harvey said. The sprinkler system helped keep the fire under control until firefighters arrived. The building was damaged, but it would probably be able to be repaired quickly, Harvey said. Wind and dry conditions have led to a city-wide burn ban that will continue into Wednesday. Harvey said those conditions may have led to the quick spread of the fire on Lima Drive. The fire department responded to several mulch fires throughout the day Tuesday that were also thought to be a result of dry conditions.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant South Bend, IN – Fire at metal finishing business extinguished by sprinkler system March 25, 2016 viking210 The South Bend Fire Department was called to a fire at Pioneer Metal Finishing on Foundation Drive just before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. When firefighters arrived, they could see smoke inside the building through the windows. They forced their way into the building and discovered the fire had been put out by the building’s sprinkler system. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Dandridge, TN – Fire at monofilaments plant extinguished by sprinklers; System credited with averting disaster March 24, 2016 viking210 A fire suppression system averted potential disaster last Thursday afternoon at the Wetekam Monofilaments USA manufacturing facility in Dandridge. Fire Chief Andy Riley reported that the department responded at 12:07 p.m. to a fire alarm at the 93,000 square foot building, where a fire had filled the machine shop with thick smoke. “The visibility was zero inside the building, but we were able to use a thermal imaging camera to determine that the fire had been put out by six sprinkler heads that had been activated.” Based in Germany, Wetekam makes yarns that are used in the weaving, automotive, medical, upholstery, and other industries. The company has over 30 workers locally and invested several million dollars in its plant in the Jefferson County Industrial Park. Riley said all workers were evacuated from the building but were expected to be able to return to work this week since fire damage was contained to the machine shop wall and did not affect the production line. “This was a case where the fire suppression system did the job it was designed to do,” he said. “The back wall was apparently lit up in flames when the call came in, but the sprinklers got it out quickly.” The fire was accidental, but the cause has not been determined, the chief said. No one was injured. The machine shop was unoccupied when the fire started, but employees in the general area reported hearing a crash before smelling smoke, Riley reported. Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours at the 956 Pine drive building clearing smoke from the interior with heavy fans. Firefighters also used a power saw to cut into the rear wall and remove damaged insulation. Volunteer firefighters from Kansas-Talbott and Lakeway Central responded under mutual aid but were diverted to another call in their district, Riley said. New Market and White Pine volunteer firefighters then responded to the Pine Drive location. A total of 22 firefighters worked on the operation. Wetekam, one of the largest monofilament makers in Europe, bought the Dandridge plant two years ago. The company was established in 1965.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Brantford, ON, Canada – Overnight foundry fire contained with help from sprinkler system March 13, 2016 viking210 Brantford Fire Department Platoon Chief Herb Van Der Made said at 1:25 a.m. firefighters from station 4 were called to the McLean Foundry at 247 Colborne St. W., where they could see smoke coming from the roof. A 911 call had come in from the foundry’s fire alarm company. Van Der Made said the fire appears to have started in the older section of the foundry, which was built in the 1930s. “We were met with a lot of heavy smoke going in, so we had to retreat,” he said. The firefighters found another way in, through a rear bay door, where they proceeded to extinguish “a really intense” fire over the following two hours. Holes were punched in the steel roof of the building’s younger section for ventilation, enabling aerial truck 9 to attack the fire from above. Van Der Made said a sprinkler system helped get the fire under control. Part of the building’s back roof fell due the fire damage. No one was working in the foundry overnight, and no one was hurt fighting the fire, according to Van Der Made. The business owners showed up and helped firefighters to access the building. Brantford police closed Colborne Street West from Shellard Lane to Lyndsay Street until at least 7 a.m.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Iowa City, IA – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at auto parts plant March 11, 2016 viking210 A structure fire damaged an Iowa City automotive parts plant and temporarily shut down operations Thursday morning, but no one was hurt, officials said. Iowa City Fire Department Battalion Chief Brian Platz said crews were dispatched to the fire at 11:07 a.m. for a report of smoke coming from the east side of the International Automotive Components building at 2500 Highway 6 in Iowa City. Platz said a fire began in a paint booth in the building and was transmitted through a smokestack to the roof. The fire in the booth itself was contained by the building’s sprinkler system, he said. “Their system extinguished the fire in the booth itself, but it didn’t cover anything above the booth,” Platz said. Crews then used water to extinguish the fire on the roof and in the smokestack, making sure that it would not spread, and Platz said firefighters were able to bring the flames under control using very little water. Thirteen personnel responded to the incident and had the blaze under control within about 40 minutes, according to Platz. And the building’s management was able to evacuate all employees and confirm their safety “very quickly,” he said.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Celina, OH – Sprinkler system helps contain fire at aluminum products plant March 9, 2016 viking210 A fire broke out at a aluminum plant in Celina Monday afternoon, sending employees home. The fire started at Celina Aluminum Precision Technology, Inc. around 1:30 p.m. The Celina Fire chief said the fire was contained to an area inside the building, between the steel bar joist and the roof. The sprinkler head went off and when firefighters arrived, the fire was out in about 20 minutes. They took care of hot spots for a couple more hours before workers could go back in. Plant officials tell us first shift was sent home, and second shift was cancelled due to the fire. They hoped to have the area checked out and cleared, for third shift to come in and continue operations. The Celina fire chief said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Plant officials said they needed to check out their equipment before determining the damage.
