A destructive structure fire was avoided early Saturday morning due to a business’s water suppression system. At 8:11 a.m., North Davis Fire District responded to a fire alarm at trailer manufacturer, Utility Trailer, in Clearfield, located at 1111 S. 1000 West. When crews arrived, water and smoke were coming from the east side of the building, according to a press release from North Davis Fire District.
About 500 employees working at the time, had already been evacuated and set up outside at meeting points designated by Utility Trailer. Firefighters found a 40-foot trailer had been destroyed by the blaze. The release states the sprinkler system in the building kept the flames from expanding.
There was damage to two trailers: one by fire and the other by water from the sprinkler system, according to the release. The cost of damage was estimated at $50,000. “If not for the water suppression system working, this business could have been devastated and could possibly experienced loss of life,” the release states.
A blaze that erupted at a local cement plant injured two firefighters before it was extinguished early Tuesday morning. Apple Valley Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Jason Nailon told the Daily Press the flames took about an hour to extinguish. The fire was believed to have been caused by possible static or dust explosions at the plant, but remains under investigation.
Reports of a blaze at a building in the Cemex plant in the 25200 block of Black Mountain Quarry Road were received around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Nailon said the blaze involved the plant’s alternate fuels that power their kilns, which are made up of wood chips, pistachio shells and tire chippings.
It is believed a minor explosion started the blaze, but the building’s sprinkler system kept the fire in check until firefighters arrived. “When we got there, the fire was almost out because of the sprinklers,” Nailon said, “but the rafters appeared to be burning. It turned out to be an accumulation of dust up on the rafters that was still burning.”
About 17 to 20 firefighters responded, including four engines from AVFPD and two from the San Bernardino County Fire Department. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control, Nailon said.
One firefighter reported an ankle injury while another suffered from heat exhaustion while combating the blaze. Nailon said some Cemex employees were at the site as well, but they reported no injuries. Estimated damages to the building are not yet known, but Nailon said the concrete construction and sprinkler system protected the building from further damage.
Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue received an alarm call about a sprinkler activation at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday at 409 S. Water St. KVFR Deputy Chief Rich Elliott said the department upgraded the alarm to a full response, and found a fire in a room used for cabinet finishes.
“The sprinkler system activated and was keeping the fire under control,” he said.
No one was in the building at the time.
Robert Hamlin, who owns the business with his wife, said he is thankful the sprinklers and fire alarm activated and for KVFR’s quick response.
When he arrived on scene at about midnight, much of the fire was already out, he said.
The fire was in the back of the business’ finish department, which has a three-hour firewall.
“Everything went the best it could. This could have been a huge disaster,” he said. “Combustibles, once they get going, can overwhelm the sprinkler system.”
Firefighters extinguished the fire and spent a few hours helping with water removal.
Elliott said the fire was determined to be accidental. Hamlin said he is still figuring out the extent of the damages, but said it appeared to mostly be water damage.
He hopes his 18 employees can return to work within the next 48 hours.
On Saturday, April 30, 2016, at 8:02 p.m., the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at Diodes/Fabtech, 777 NW Blue Parkway, in the north building of the Summit Technology Campus. An employee called 911 to report a fire on the roof and smoke in their chemical/gas storage room.
When the fire department arrived, a small fire was visible on the roof of the 540,000 square foot, mixed use facility. The building was in the process of being evacuated. The fire was located on the roof and in the gas scrubber room, on the north side of the building. The gasses are used for the manufacturing of semi-conductors for the electronics industry and the scrubbers process the gasses after they have been used.
After consulting with facility staff to determine the types of hazardous materials involved, crews made an initial investigation inside of the scrubber room and found a piece of ductwork from a scrubber unit burning in a pipe chase near the deck of the roof. A sprinkler head near the fire had activated and controlled the fire in the chase.
Fire crews finished extinguishing that fire as other crews attacked the fire involving the ductwork on the roof. On the roof, a portion of the ductwork going to an exhaust fan had burned and fallen away leaving burning gasses coming from two scrubber exhaust pipes. Fire crews applied foam and water from the ladder truck to control the fires and protect the exposures around them as the fire department worked with Diodes staff to shut down all of the gasses going into the scrubber.
After the gasses were shut off, both of the fires were extinguished. The fire was under control at 9:37 p.m. Crews monitored the air around area for hazardous materials throughout the incident.
Fire damage was contained to the exhaust duct on the roof and in the pipe chase from the scrubber room to the roof. After the fire was out and air monitoring was complete, all of the buildings tenants were allowed to reoccupy the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Reporting on lives and property saved by fire sprinklers
