Category Archives: Manufacturing

Cleveland, OH – Fire at large commercial business extinguished by sprinkler system, Damage minimized

Cleveland Firefighters rushed to battle a blaze at InterGroup International on Wednesday morning. By the time crews arrived, the sprinkler system had already extinguished the fire.

Officials say the fire started around 5:30 a.m. as a worker was testing material to be recycled. The business is a shipping and receiving company that buys, reprocesses and sells post-industrial scrap plastics. The business is located in the 14500 block of Darley Avenue on the city’s east side.

Owner Neil Gloger says only two employees were inside at the time and evacuated safely. Gloger says there was no building damage but minor damage to supplies. He says they feel fortunate about the outcome and the business was able to reopen within two hours of the incident.

Gloucester, MA – Fire in freezer at seafood company extinguished by sprinkler system

A Gloucester firefighter sustained what the department termed a minor injury when crews responded to a fire within a freezer at the former Good Harbor seafood location within the Blackburn Industrial Park at around 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

Chief Eric Smith said a piece of equipment fell on the firefighter’s hand and he was brought to Addison Gilbert Hospital for evaluation. The small blaze was contained within the freezer, Smith said, and a sprinkler discharged and extinguished the flame.

“The sprinkler kept it under control,” he said.  The crew was still on scene as of 5 p.m. Smith said firefighters were disassembling the freezer to make sure no flames remained inside.

South Plainfield, NJ – Fire at plastics manufacturer controlled with help from sprinkler system

Veerag Mehta, an official with Polymer Dynamix, said that a dust collector outside of the building caught fire this morning, which caused an explosion through ventilation ducts.  Nobody was seriously hurt, but several people had ringing in their ears and they’re being checked for concussions, Mehta said.

The company does not know why the dust collector caught fire and exploded. The explosion — limited, because of sprinkler systems in the ducts — sent a plume of dust through part of the building, covering several workers, Mehta said.

“Knock on wood, everyone seems to be OK,” Mehta said.

Fire at high-tech optical manufacturer put out by sprinkler system (Middlefield, CT)

Local firefighters were on the scene of a fire at Zygo Corporation in the eastern part of town early Monday. Four people were reportedly evaluated for injuries but declined medical treatment.  NBC Connecticut is reporting that the fire was minor and that it was put out by the sprinkler system inside the business.  Crews were beginning to clear the scene around 6:45 a.m. Monday.

Automatic sprinkler contains fire at Mercury Marine plant (Fond du Lac, WI)

No one was hurt and damage was minor in a fire at Mercury Marine Monday afternoon. The Fond du Lac Fire Department responded to the call at 2:36 p.m. Upon arrival, crews learned the fire started in Plant 98 in a dust collector. The automatic fire sprinkler activated and contained and extinguished the fire. “The fire suppression system worked as designed and kept the fire contained to the dust collector” said, Fond du Lac Fire Chief Peter O’Leary.

Fire at automotive components manufacturer contained by sprinklers (Greencastle, IN)

Local fire crews were called to the scene of a fire Friday evening at Heartland Automotive. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene to reports of heavy smoke at 9:36 p.m.  Greencastle Fire Chief Bill Newgent told the Banner Graphic the blaze originated in the facility’s paint room. The sprinkler system in the area contained the fire until firefighters arrived to extinguish it completely. No cause has been determined.

Overnight fire at manufacturing business held in check by sprinkler system (St. Charles, IL)

The St. Charles Fire Department responded to an activated fire alarm at 4:15 a.m. at Eifeler-Lafer Inc., located at 3800 Commerce Drive. The company provides steel and carbide coating, which is used in making tools and medical devices. The business was closed at the time of the fire and no employees or other occupants were inside.  An overhead sprinkler helped keep the fire in check and firefighters were able to extinguish the rest in about 30 minutes. No firefighters were injured.

Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at paper company (Williamsport, MD)

The Maryland Paper Company in Williamsport is recoveringThursday after machinery caught fire late Wednesday night.  According to Deputy Chief State Fire MarshalJason Mowbray, the fire originated in a 2011 JCB Front End Loader, which isused to manipulate and handle paper for the products the company creates. Thefire then spread to the flammable products nearby. There were no injuriesreported, and the only damage the company sustained was the loss of the FrontEnd Loader and the replacement of the sprinkler head system.

Firefighters credit sprinkler system for controlling fire at manufacturing plant (Temple, TX)

Crews responded to a fire Saturday afternoon at the Lock Joint Tube manufacturing plant in Temple. When crews got there they found employees had already evacuated the building. When they went inside, they found one fire sprinkler head flowing water close to machinery which had a small amount of fire underneath. Crews put out the flames and credit the fire sprinkler system with keeping the fire from spreading.

Sprinklers help extinguish overnight fire at Toll Brothers’ plant (Morrisville, PA)

A Morrisville factory escaped serious damage Tuesday morning after a machine malfunction started a fire in a ventilation system that collects sawdust.  The accidental fire occurred shortly after midnight at a Toll Brothers’ construction plant, which makes panels for the builder’s homes.The fire forced the evacuation of the plant, but the business’ sprinkler system started putting out the fire before firefighters arrived and finished the job, Morrisville Fire Marshal Robert Seward said.