Category Archives: Manufacturing

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Lyndhurst, NJ – Sprinklers control fire in adjacent building after recycling plant fire jumps road

Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and a third suffered a minor leg injury after they responded to a stubborn blaze that tore through a paper recycling plant on Page Avenue on Thursday, authorities said.

A skeleton crew of two workers was inside the NYNJ Recycling plant at 800 Page Ave. when the fire started but escaped without injury, said Chief Paul Haggerty of the Lyndhurst Fire Department.  A firefighter is taken away from the fire in Lyndhurst on a stretcher Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015.

The fire was reported around 11:30 a.m. and quickly went to a third alarm. At one point, the flames jumped across Page Avenue and caused minor damage to a plastics company in the industrial area, but a sprinkler system kept the fire in check and firefighters managed to save that building, Haggerty said.

Part of the large, flat-roofed brick building that housed the recycling company collapsed during the fire. About 50 firefighters from Lyndhurst and surrounding communities battled the blaze, Haggerty said.  Smoke from the fire billowed out of the structure and spread through much of the township. A Bergen County hazmat team tested air samples but found no harm to the public, the fire chief said.

Haggerty said he was out on a coffee run for his family just before the fire was called in. Although he couldn’t join his family on time for Thanksgiving dinner, his wife, Corrine, brought the food to him and his crew at the scene. She handed him a heated container filled with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn. “I packed extra forks for the guys, just in case they’re hungry,” she said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Thursday afternoon.

 

The plant was formerly operated by Jem Sanitation Corp., a company that had ties to organized crime, according to a 2011 report by the state Commission of Investigation.

Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Chesire, OH – Deluge sprinkler system extinguishes transformer fire at power plant

A transformer at General James M. Gavin Power Plant in Cheshire caught fire early Sunday afternoon, causing black smoke to rise that could be seen for miles across the Ohio Valley.

According to Tammy Ridout, manager for media relations and policy communications at AEP, the 1 p.m. Sunday fire was a caused by a failed generator step-up transformer on Gavin Plant Unit 2. This transformer is what handles the generator voltage and increases it to match the transmission line voltage so that power can leave the plant.

The plant is connected to the grid by 765 kilovolt transmission lines — the highest rated voltage in the U.S. The plant currently has about 275 employees. Middleport Fire Chief Jeff Darst said the fire occurred in what is known as Unit 2, where the tranformers are kept behind the plant and can’t be viewed from the road.

Pomeroy, Middleport and Rutland fire departments were called to the scene and no injuries were reported. Ridout said Unit 1 was not affected and remains in operation.

“The local fire departments were a big help in containing the fire,” Ridout said. “We’re still investigating the cause and are working on a recovery plan to restore the unit to operation.”

The Gavin Power Plant is located in Cheshire up the road from the smaller Kyger Creek Power Plant. It is a 2.6-gigawatt coal-fired power station — the largest facility of its kind in Ohio and one of the largest in the nation.  Cheshire resident Robert Roush said he could see the smoke from his home.

Ridout said that Meigs County fire stations, including Middleport, Pomeroy and Rutland fire departments, were called to the scene, but the flames were contained before they arrived. The fire was extinguished by a deluge system, or an activated sprinkler system, she said.

“Unfortunately, when you are dealing with large electrical equipment and there is some type of equipment failure, it can cause a fire,” Ridout said of the previous incident. “We have systems in place such as fire suppression systems, the fire brigade at the plant, training for our employees and relationships with local emergency responders and in this case, those systems worked and we were able to put the fire out safely.”

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Oak Ridge, TN – Fire in dust filtration system at manufacturing facility is contained by sprinkler system

More than 20 employees were briefly evacuated when a fire alarm sounded in a manufacturing facility where products are made from depleted uranium, but there was no radiological release.  The fire occurred about 9:30 a.m. Monday when dust in a filter system at Manufacturing Sciences Corp., S. Illinois Avenue, ignited.

“All it takes is a spark to set it off,” Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.  There’s a built-in sprinkler system that was activated and quelled the blaze. Kerley said there is “negative pressure” in the building where air is always pulled into it and is filtered. “Everything was contained in the building,” he said.

Manufacturing Sciences is also involved in special metals handling.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Santa Ana, CA – Sprinkler system helps minimize damage in fire at aluminum manufacturer; No injuries

Fire crews extinguished a fire inside an aluminum manufacturing business Thursday in Santa Ana, authorities said.   Fire Authority officials were called at 2 p.m. to a fire at Aluminum Precision Products in the 2600 block of South Susan Street, said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The company makes die aluminum forgings for the aerospace industry.  Twenty employees were near a forging press machine when it caught fire. The blaze quickly spread to the roof where a sprinkler system was activated.

“An oily residue kept igniting the fire on the ceiling,” Concialdi said.   The fire was under control by 2:40 p.m.  A Fire Authority hazmat crew contained the runoff mixture of water and chemicals.

Fifty employees were inside the building when the fire broke out, but were able to exit safety. No one was reported injured.  Around 55 firefighters with OCFA and the Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach fire departments responded to the building.

The cause of the fire was an unknown failure of the forging press machine. Damages were at least $50,000, Concialdi said.  It was not clear if the business would reopen Thursday. More to come.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jackson, TN – Machine fire at automotive parts manufacturer suppressed by sprinkler system; Plant reopens next morning

The Jackson Fire Department was called to a fire at the UGN plant Monday after an injection mold machine malfunctioned and caught fire. According to Capt. David Thompson, damage from the fire was contained to the machine itself and its exhaust system. There was minimal damage to the plant, he said.

“It could’ve been [worse],” Thompson said. “If they didn’t have a good sprinkler system, the exhaust goes all the way up to the ceiling so there could have been a fire on the roof real quick. “Everything went the way it was supposed to,” Thompson said.

Thompson said UGN, which makes car parts, had to be shut down for the night, but is expected to be reopen this morning.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

West Hazleton, PA – Sprinklers assist firefighters in extinguishing fire at manufacturing plant; No injuries

Firefighters from multiple companies responded to a fire alarm at a plant in Valmont Industrial Park in West Hazleton on Sunday afternoon. Firefighters and the plant’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire, which spread to the roof, Cara said. Crews could be found walking on the building’s roof after accessing it from a ladder truck.

Smoke rolled off the roof at Greif Brothers, 95 Jaycee Drive, and was visible for a time from Route 93 after firefighters were dispatched there around 4:30 p.m. The smoke began to dissipate and finally disappeared from outside view by about 5 p.m.

Deputy Fire Chief Brian Cara said crews spotted the smoke upon arrival after being dispatched to the facility by Luzerne County 911 for an activated fire alarm and found a fire in a hopper holding polystyrene.

Cara said firefighters ventilated the building and found the fire didn’t extend elsewhere. Damages amounted to mostly smoke and water, Cara said. He expected the damage would “cause little change” in Greif Brothers operations.

No injuries were reported. Employees were at work when the fire broke out and evacuated, he said.

Cara said multiple fire companies were called to respond as a precaution. With commercial buildings, Cara said, it’s difficult to predict how quickly and where the fire will spread.

Firefighters from Hazleton, Valley Regional, Freeland, McAdoo, Hazle Township and Mahanoy City responded, as did utility companies PPL and UGI. American Patient Transport Systems Inc. also responded, as did fire police to direct traffic.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Sun Prairie, WI – Sprinkler system activates; Assists firefighters in fire at aluminum die cast manufacturer

Smoke could be seen from outside the building, and managers told firefighters there was a fire located in an indoor foundry furnace, officials said. The sprinkler system activated before crews arrived, according to the release.

Power was disconnected to all equipment inside, and firefighters put out the fire, officials said. Crews had to overhaul ceiling tiles above the furnace afterwords due to the damage. The fire’s cause and damage estimates are still under investigation.

Madison-Kipp Corporation (“MKC”) is a major producer of precision machined components and system subassemblies for customers in the transportation, industrial, lawn & garden, and leisure-end markets.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

St. Marys, OH – Fire at automotive parts manufacturer AAP put out with help from sprinkler system

The St. Marys Fire Department was called to AAP in St. Marys at about 11:20 this morning due to a ceiling fire in the plant. The department responded with two engines and a ladder track. The department also called in crews from the St. Marys Township Fire Department for assistance. In total, 16 firefighters responded.

Chief Ayres says the fire was put out in about an hour thanks in part to a sprinkler system at AAP. So far, no cause has been determined. Chief Ayres says the department is investigating if this fire is related to a fire at AAP earlier this month that resulted in heavy black smoke and flames shooting from the roof.

 

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Thunder Bay, ON, Canada – Fire at Bombardier plant controlled by sprinkler system; No injuries

Thunder Bay’s Bombardier plant was forced to evacuate its employees Wednesday afternoon, after a fire broke out inside the facility. The call came in at around 3 p.m.. Thunder Bay fire crews rushed to the plant on Montreal Street, after reports of a structural fire. As it turns out the fire was contained to a piece of equipment. The plant’s sprinkler system was activated and Bombardier staff apparently had the fire out before fire crews arrived.

Hundreds of employees were evacuated as a precautionary measure. There’s no word on how much damage was done to the equipment in the area where the fire started.

Other - Manufacturing, Power / Energy Facility

Pasadena, TX – Sprinkler system activates to extinguish industrial chemical fire

(Fire Department Reported – NO MEDIA COVERAGE. Courtesy of City of Pasadena (Texas) Fire Marshal’s Office)

Fire Department Initial Response: On October 07, 2015, The Pasadena Fire Department along with several other agencies responded to 5000 Underwood for a reported industrial fire. Upon their arrival they discovered that a chemical explosion had occurred resulting in a fire. The buildings fire sprinkler system activated and extinguished the fire. The fire sprinkler and alarm system functioned as designed notifying the occupants of the building who evacuated.

This incident shows the importance of an automatic fire sprinkler system and demonstrates that if the building did not have an automatic sprinkler system, the outcome could have been completely different.

Furthermore there is no doubt whatsoever that at the very least the presence of a sprinkler system saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and property loss to the building owners and potentially prevented citizens and firefighters from being injured or killed.’

Automatic fire sprinkler systems have over 100 years of proven performance in protecting life and property. For further information contact: Chief David Brannon, Fire Marshal 713-475-5556.