Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Elysburg, PA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at packaging manufacturer

An Elysburg business was saved Tuesday morning thanks to a sprinkler system that worked to perfection, according to Elysburg Fire Chief Dennis Kroh. Polar Tech, which manufactures packaging materials, ice packs and shipping containers, was the scene of a Tuesday morning fire that saw more than 75 firefighters and emergency responders from 10 fire departments covering three counties rush to the structure located along Route 487 at around 7:05 a.m., Kroh said.  The fire began in a storage area behind the plant but the sprinkler system kicked it “just like it was supposed to,” Kroh said. “I truly believe without the system in place the fire would have continued to spread and it would have been a total loss.”

“The sprinkler system worked exactly as it was supposed to and gave us time to get there and get inside.” Kroh said the fire was tricky because it started in an area where there were several items stored which made it hard for firefighters to locate the exact spot in which the spark occurred.  Soon after 7 a.m., at least 30 employees were evacuated and were not allowed back into the structure for several hours.  The fire lasted about 45 minutes and Kroh said the blaze was contained to one area and that nothing was damaged inside the production area.  Kroh was thankful for the efforts of the firefighters and said Mother Nature also played a part in avoiding a disaster.

Temperatures on Tuesday morning were near 50 degrees. “It’s always better when it is not so cold out,” Kroh said. “We got lucky with the weather and everyone did a great job.”  Polar Tech purchased part of the former Fleetwood complex in Ralpho Township in 2011.  Kroh said he was unable to determine a dollar amount in damage and has ruled the cause of the fire as undetermined at this time.  Fire crews from Elysburg, Shamokin, Stonington, Coal Township, Kulpmont Mount Carmel and Atlas in Northumberland County, Catawissa from Columbia County and Danville and Mahoning Township of Montour County all assisted at the scene.