Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Danville, VA – Damage from fire at flooring manufacturer minimized thanks to sprinkler system June 22, 2016 viking210 Smoke poured out of the loading dock doors in one of the plants at Columbia Flooring on Maxine Road as Danville firefighters arrived in response to a reported fire at about 7 p.m. About an hour later, sweating and parched firefighters gathered near one of the six engines at the scene, to wrap their heads in wet towels and drink water or energy drinks — the fire was considered under control, Fire Marshall Shelby Irving said, though smoke still billowed out of the loading dock doors. As firefighters began carrying fans toward the building to help clear the smoke, Irving said it was impossible to look for the cause of the fire until the smoke was cleared. “There’s so much smoke in there you can’t see anything,” Irving said. But the sprinkler system in the plant had done its job, Irving said. “The sprinklers did activate and keep the fire in check,” Irving said. “Because of that, the [firefighters] were able to get in there pretty quick and get a line on the fire … the damage will be much less than it could have been.” The fire was in a production area of the plant and caused extensive damage to machinery and electrical equipment, according to a news release. This section of the plant will be closed for two to three days.
