Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing Lee’s Summit, MO – Small business saved from fire thanks to sprinkler system February 24, 2015 viking210 An automatic fire sprinkler system at a commercial building in Lee’s Summit helped the business avoid major damage from a fire caused by malfunctioning equipment. According to the Lee’s Summit Fire Department, emergency personnel responded at 7:34 p.m. Feb. 16 to R&D Tool and Engineering, 1008 SE Browning St. Multiple callers from inside the building reported a fire involving a piece of machinery. At the same time, the alarm company reported activation of the automatic fire sprinkler system and alarm. When the fire department arrived, no smoke or fire was visible from the outside of the two-story building, which was being evacuated. Fire officials said crews entered the building to find smoke inside the manufacturing portion of the building. A sprinkler head over a laser etching machine enclosure was activated by heat, and extinguished much of the fire, which was under control by 8:04 p.m. According to fire officials, the sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading from plastic exhaust tubing coming out of the metal dust collector on top of the machine enclosure and up to the roof. The fire originated in the metal dust collection system. Damage was limited to a small area on top of the machine enclosure with minor smoke damage to the remainder of the manufacturing area. Water did get into the equipment below. Crews remained on scene to assist with getting smoke out the building and water removal. The building was later able to be reoccupied.
