Category Archives: Manufacturing

Other - Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Lexington, KY – Fire at wood truss manufacturer controlled by sprinkler system

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Dallas, OR – Sprinklers prevent fire at RV manufacturing plant from spreading

The investigation into the cause of today’s fire at Forest River in Dallas is ongoing, but fire officials know one thing for sure: the RV manufacturing plant’s interior sprinklers saved the day. “The sprinkler system, it worked perfectly,” said Fred Hertel, Dallas fire chief.

Firefighters were called to the plant, at 1429 SE Uglow Ave., at about 11:55 a.m. By the time fire crews arrived, Forest River’s workers had been evacuated. According to firefighters on scene, the fire appears to have started on the outside of the building – though that hasn’t been officially confirmed yet – and traveled up the wall. The blaze triggered the sprinkler system, which knocked down the fire that had spread to the inside of the building.

Hertel said given the size of the building, without the sprinkler system, the fire could have easily gotten out of control. Thankfully, the blaze was contained to one section of the wall on the backside at the plant. “It’s just a little fire,” Hertel said. “The sprinkler system prevented this from getting beyond our capabilities.”

NW Natural, Pacific Power, and Polk No. 1 assisted Dallas Fire and EMS on the scene. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office is conducting the investigation

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Springfield, OR – Sawmill fire contained with help from sprinkler system

Twenty-one firefighters responded Wednesday afternoon to a fire in the planing mill section of the Rosboro Lumber Co. mill at 2509 Main St. The fire was reported at 3:18 p.m. and declared under control by 4:30 p.m., Eugene Springfield Fire Department officials said. The planing mill section has been shut down, but the rest of the mill is operational, officials said.

No employees or firefighters were reported injured. The cause of the fire, and estimated damage loss, were not immediately known.

The mill’s fire sprinkler system helped control the fire, Meigs said, but firefighters had to use a thermal imaging system to spot isolated cases where the fire was spreading through the ceiling. Battalion Chief Ben Meigs said the amount of sawdust in the mill may have contributed to the spread of the fire, which “traveled up the walls, and up the ceilings.”

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Merritt, BC, Canada – Sprinklers help contain sawmill fire; Operations resume same day

Merritt Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the Tolko sawmill around 1:30 Saturday afternoon.  Fire Chief Dave Tompkinson says a hydraulic oil tank was on fire.

“Prior to firefighters arriving, the sprinkler system had activated. The sawmill employees had actioned the fire with extinguishers and a hose line,” says Tompkinson. The fire was inside the the plant, and spread to some machinery above.

Tomkinson says, as the fire department was leaving, the sawmill was already getting back up and running. The cause of the fire is unknown.