A fire sprinkler system prevented major fire damage at a Moses Lake business Thursday night.
About 11 p.m. the Moses Lake Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at the Central Machinery sales building. When firefighters arrived they found smoke coming from the building and were able to hear the water flow alarm from the fire sprinkler system.
“The first arriving engine was tasked with pumping in to the fire sprinkler system to increase water flow for fire suppression while firefighters gained entry into the building for fire attack. Once inside the building firefighters discovered a commercial vehicle with fire inside the cab and engine compartment,” reads a press release from the MLFD. “The fire had been contained to the vehicle through the proper operation of the fire sprinkler system. Two sprinkler heads opened and suppressed the fire until firefighters could access the seat of the fire and fully extinguish it using fire hose hand lines.”
A total of two engines, one squad car, one medical unit, one ladder truck, two command units, the city’s fire marshal and 10 personnel responded to the scene. Through their investigation the MLFD traced the origin of the fire back to a “wiring bundle” in the battery box compartment of the commercial vehicle. The MLFD says the fire spread from the battery box, to the cab and then to the engine compartment.