Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Albany, GA – Sprinklers control fire at bedding manufacturer; Fire started in stored bales of cardboard June 15, 2015 viking210 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 June 14, 2015 viking210 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 June 9, 2015 viking210 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 June 8, 2015 viking210 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 June 4, 2015 viking210 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.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Vancouver, BC, Canada – Sprinklers hold fire in check at packaging manufacturer June 1, 2015 viking210 City firefighters responded to the fire at around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at CKF Inc. on Production Way, said City Fire Chief Rory Thompson. In total, eight engines, several other vehicles, and 52 firefighters were deployed to deal with the fire. The actual fire didn’t do too much damage to the building. “We were fortunate because the sprinkler system really held the fire in check for us,” said Thompson. “There was a considerable amount of smoke,” he said of the fire near Fraser Highway. The fire was in the back of the large industrial building, and the complexity and size of the fire quickly led the City to go to three alarms. That brought in some Township crews to lend a hand. However, the building was full of pallets of thousands of cardboard egg cartons. The fire had gotten into the cartons and the pallets. Between the fire and the water, the cartons were destroyed, and the pallets collapsed, leaving piles of debris five to six feet high. Firefighters had to fight their way through the mess to lay hose lines and get at the last remnants of the fire. Two firefighters were hospitalized, with a City firefighter falling and injuring his shoulder, and a Township firefighter who hurt his knee. Firefighters brought a lot of bottled water for crews and had to work in shifts, taking breaks to hydrate after fighting the fire on a day when temperatures hit the high 20s. “Pretty tired, that’s for sure,” Thompson said of how the crews felt after the fire was out. Fire crews didn’t leave the scene until 4 a.m. on Friday. Investigators were looking through the scene Friday to try to determine the cause. City firefighters have had training with what are called “large box” fires, and they recently did a command and control training exercise in concert with the Langley Township firefighters. Township and City firefighters frequently work together on larger fires or cover for one another when crews are very busy.
Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill Columbia City, OR – Wood dust fire at mill is controlled with help from sprinklers June 1, 2015 viking210 A flash fire broke out at the West Oregon Wood Products mill in Columbia City on Saturday night, May 23, but there was no serious structural damage recorded, according to the chief of Columbia River Fire & Rescue. The fire was “largely controlled” by workers at the mill and the fire sprinklers, according to the CRF&R release, and they worked in concert with firefighters to put out smoldering wood and dust over the course of about two hours. A press release provided to the Spotlight on Tuesday, May 26, by Jay Tappan states the fire was reported at 10:05 p.m. Fire crews from CRF&R and the Scappoose Fire District responded with six fire engines, along with other support vehicles, and 23 personnel. No injuries were reported. Tappan told the Spotlight there appears to be no structural damage from the fire, although a full cost estimate was not available. The flash fire was caused by hot metal fragments that ignited the wood dust, an investigation determined. The mill returned to operations Sunday.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Redding, CA – Sprinklers keep fire from spreading at manufacturing plant May 26, 2015 viking210 A fire in a tank of detergent was doused Sunday by the sprinkler system at a Redding manufacturing plant, a Redding Fire Department official said. Shortly after 5 p.m. a fire alarm went off at Seco Manufacturing on Oasis Road, Battalion Chief Steve Reilly said. The fire alarm was activated by a fire in a tank of detergent used in a process to anodize aluminum that is used to make surveying equipment, he said. A fire sprinkler turned on above the tank, keeping the fire from spreading, he said. Shortly after the fire broke out, firefighters with Redding’s Engine Co. No. 6, which is across the street from the plant, heard the fire alarm and saw a light smoke coming from the rear of the business, Reilly said. The firefighters got access to the rear of the building and were able to put it out by about 5:30 p.m., Reilly said. The business was closed for the Memorial Day weekend. The fire was confined to the tank, he said. He said the fire was caused by a malfunction in how the tank operates.
Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Doraville, GA – Sprinklers control fire at ceramics manufacturer; Equipment malfunction apparent cause May 26, 2015 viking210 An equipment malfunction was the apparent cause of a business fire Saturday in Gwinnett County. Gwinnett Fire said Applied Ceramics, located at 5555 Pleasantdale Road, reported the fire around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Employees were alerted to the danger by smoke alarms and the activation of the sprinkler system. The building is located in unincorporated Atlanta in Gwinnett County, not far from the city limits of Peachtree Corners and Norcross. “When fire crews arrived on scene they found moderate smoke showing, and employees evacuating the structure,” Lt. Jerrod Barrett said in the email. “First-arriving Engine crew investigated the fire and found a machine had caught fire which was held in check by an overhead sprinkler system. Crews advanced attack hand lines into the business to extinguish the fire.” No one was injured in the blaze.
Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Hillsboro, OR – Sprinkler activates to help limit damage in fire at tool manufacturer May 16, 2015 viking210 A fire at a tool company in Hillsboro forced 120 employees to evacuate on May 15. After an hour of waiting outside, employees re-entered the building. No one was injured, but the fire caused some minor damage to the building. Investigators said the fire began in a dust filtration unit on the production floor of Davis Tool at 3740 Northwest Aloclek Place in Hillsboro. Fire damage extended up the exhaust duct of the dust unit, spreading smoke throughout the warehouse and activating a single roof fire sprinkler. Davis Tool produces precision-machined parts, sheet metal parts, and assemblies. Fire investigators believe that a spark from grinding operations near the dust filtration unit caused combustible particles to ignite. According to Hillsboro Fire and Rescue, the building had already been evacuated when they arrived. Firefighters reported smoke coming from the rear doors of the production area. A total of 24 Hillsboro Fire Department and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue firefighters responded, extinguishing the flames within 11 minutes.