Category Archives: Manufacturing

Food Processing, Manufacturing

Fayetteville, AR – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at Tyson Food’s facility

The Fayetteville Fire Department responded to a fire inside the building at Tyson Food’s Inc. on S School Avenue.  The fire happened at 3 p.m. inside the Mexican Original plant.  Dispatchers and Firefighters said the sprinkler system was activated.  Firefighters were on scene to help get the smoke out of the building.  The building was briefly evacuated, according to a Tyson spokesperson.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Mesquite, NV – Machinery fire at manufacturing facility extinguished by sprinkler system

*** NO MEDIA COVERAGE – Fire Department Reported ***

E-11, R-11, R-31, Beaver Dam E-11 responded to a manufacturing facility on Turtleback Road for a report of fire signals with water flow alarm. Arrived to no smoke or fire. Employee advises they had a fire in a machine and he believes it has been extinguished by the sprinkler system. Hose lines pulled into structure and remaining smoldering fire put out. Business advised to maintain fire watch until suppression system restored and to have electrician inspect all machinery impacted by water flow. Damage limited to machine with no extension to the structure.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Poplar Bluff, MO – Sprinkler system quickly puts out fire at Briggs and Stratton facility

A fire broke out at Briggs and Stratton in Poplar Bluff Thursday morning around 10:30 a.m. Some welding sparked dust to catch fire near a paint oven, according to the Poplar Bluff Fire Department.

The sprinkler system activated and the fire was quickly put out. Employees were evacuated. Firefighters worked to ventilate the area before letting employees back in to the facility. No one was injured.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Dubuque, IA – Fire in paint booth at manufacturing facility controlled with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters say a fire inside a paint booth at a Dubuque warehouse Tuesday was contained fairly quickly but still caused significant damage.

Dubuque Fire Chief Rick Steines said firefighters received a report at 9:49 a.m. Tuesday at a warehouse at 1111 Purina Drive. He said the blaze originated in a paint booth used by manufacturing company Andersen Eagle and was contained to the machinery.

Steines also said there were two 50-gallon barrels of acetone in the booth that started to burn. No injuries have been reported.

Steines said the booth’s sprinkler system helped contain the fire and firefighters were able to run a hose into the booth to extinguish the blaze. He said it was contained within about 15 minutes but crews stayed on scene to ensure the fire was out and to assess damage and help get the sprinkler system back on line.

Steines said the paint booth’s safety functions worked properly and the damage was contained to the booth.

“There’s no damage estimate yet, but there was pretty significant damage to the paint booth and some water damage from the sprinklers.,” Steines said.

He said the fire was paged out at a two-alarm level at first. But since it was contained quickly, the additional crews were back in service a short time later.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Eau Claire, WI – Firefighters say sprinklers helped reduce damage in uniform company fire

Firefighters are crediting sprinklers for reducing the amount of damage caused by an overnight fire at an Eau Claire uniform company.

When crews arrived to the 3600 block of White Avenue early Tuesday morning, smoke was pouring from the large commercial building.

They responded to Huebsch Linen Services just after 2:00 a.m. The business is off Melby Street, near the airport.

According to the fire department, uniforms and rags were burning inside. Firefighters say the sprinkler system kept the fire small. They’re estimating damage at $20,000.

Huebsch makes work uniforms, floor matting and facility supplies.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Albany, GA – Sprinklers control fire at bedding manufacturer; Fire started in stored bales of cardboard

Firefighters responded to the call of a structure around 9:15 Monday morning at Jamison Bedding Manufacturing building.  Battalion Chief Keith Ambrose says the first arriving unit noticed smoke coming from vents in the building.

Ambrose says stored bales of cardboard were on fire and that crews were able to put the fire out within five minutes. “The sprinkler system activated, which saved us a lot of work and kept the fire in check until we could get here and extinguish it,” said Ambrose.

No injuries were reported. Foul play is not suspected but the cause of fire is under investigation.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Shelton, CT – Sprinklers contain arson fire at packaging manufacturer

A criminal investigation is under way into a late-night fire at a Shelton company that specializes in corrugated cardboard packaging. An initial investigation “determined [the fire] was incendiary in nature, which means arson,” said Shelton Fire Marshal James Tortora.

The arson determination was made with the help of Shelton police detectives, the city Fire Marshal’s Office, the State Police, and the state Fire Marshal’s Office, including the use of a state-provided K-9 dog with specialized training.

Shelton Police Det. Christopher Nugent confirmed the fire was being looked into but declined to offer any details about the police investigation or case at this time. “The fire is currently under investigation,” Nugent said.

The fire occurred in an office at Honey Cell manufacturing facility at Bridgeport Avenue and Long Hill Cross Road. The plant’s address is 600 Bridgeport Ave., but it is actually accessed from Long Hill Cross Road.

Tortora said the fire call came in at about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10. Upon arrival, firefighters found a fire in an office at the factory, “but the sprinkler system had it under control and kept it contained to the office,” he said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the remaining fire soon after their arrival, Tortora said. “First arriving units reported light smoke showing from the building,” according to an Echo Hose Fire posting. “A fire was found in one of the offices with the sprinkler system in operation.

Based on the company website, Honey Cell is a part of Valley Container. Different divisions of the parent company specialize in different kinds of packaging. Valley Container has a factory and its headquarters in Bridgeport, as well as facilities in Massachusetts and Ohio.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Huntingburg, IN – Sprinklers help limit damage in fire at sawdust storage building

The Huntingburg Volunteer Fire Department was called Saturday morning to the report of a fire in OFS Plant No. 18’s sawdust storage facility.

Department spokesman John C. Smith said, given a similar incident eight years ago, he braced for the worst and quickly called for manpower assistance from the Holland Volunteer Fire Department.

On July 6, 2007, a similar fire in the then-60-by-120 sawdust storage building behind the plant kept firefighters busy for 14 hours, Smith said. But, he added, that building has been replaced by a new one with a sprinkler system. And it was that sprinkler system that curtailed damage after Saturday’s 8:58 a.m. call by activating and extinguishing the main body of the fire, Smith said.

The fire’s cause was attributed to a mechanical failure in an auger system used to move sawdust into the building, according to Smith.

Large front-end loaders supplied by Brewer Farms Inc., Huntingburg, were used to take sawdust out of the building so firefighters could access the area where the fire started.

Smith said there was no appreciable damage to the building.

Huntingburg’s department was on the scene with four trucks and 13 firefighters for five hours. Holland’s department responded with 10 firefighters. While four worked alongside Huntingburg firefighters for the duration, Smith said, others were released throughout the morning as conditions allowed.

OFS personnel assisted with sawdust removal and a Memorial Hospital Emergency Medical Services ambulance was on standby at the scene. Members of the Huntingburg Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary were on hand to provide food and drinks for those extinguishing the smoldering sawdust.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Wooster, OH – Welding machine fire at manufacturer extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Responding to a smoke call at LuK Inc., Wooster City Firefighters arrived at the business Sunday morning to find a fire inside a welding machine.  Firefighters were called to the business, located at 3401 Old Airport Road, at 8:44 a.m. They arrived within minutes and remained on scene for more than an hour containing the fire, however much of the work of extinguishing the fire was accomplished through an internal sprinkler system, said Lt. Joe Linz.

Firefighters worked with LuK maintenance workers, who disassembled the machine, and attacked the fire, using a combination of fire extinguishers, water and Chimfex flares, which emit carbon dioxide, according to Capt. Tom Graf.

While there were employees working at the business at the time, the fire was contained to the machine, and there was no substantial interruption to operations, said Graf, noting there were no injuries.  Loss is estimated at $1,000, he said, noting the fire is believed to have been the result of normal procedures.

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing, Other Business

East Moline, IL – Fire at uniform services business extinguished by sprinkler system

A fire at a uniform services company is out thanks, in part, to the building sprinkler system. The fire broke out just before 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 2015, at the Aramark Uniform Services building on Avenue of the Cities.

East Moline fire crews say an air compressor caught fire at the back of the building. While the sprinkler system put out any flames, firefighters on scene dealt with heavy smoke.  Officials say no one was hurt, but crews are estimating thousands of dollars in damage.

The Battalion Chief says a mechanical malfunction is most likely to blame for the fire, but it’s still under investigation.