Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant Middleville, MI – Fire in dust collector at water heater manufacturer knocked down by sprinkler system June 12, 2017 viking210 No one was hurt and there was minimal damage to a Middleville water heater manufacturer following a weekend fire. Thornapple Township Fire Chief Randy Eaton said the fire at Bradford White Corporation wound up not being as severe as initial calls suggested. His department remained on scene for about an hour last Sunday, June 4. Fire crews were dispatched around 4:50 p.m. Sunday to the facility at 200 Lafayette St. On scene, Thornapple Township firefighters located a fire, which was primarily confined to a dust collector. An overhead sprinkler system kept the flames from expanding to the roof and causing any structural damage. Maintenance crews were working on the system at the time of the fire, and no production was underway. Eaton said less than a dozen maintenance workers were inside the facility but none were injured. Crews from Caledonia Township and Wayland responded as backup, but weren’t needed to knock down the fire.
