NFPA Journal - Spring 2022 - 76

Firewatch
fire was confined to a building housing
a generator, but the structure and its
contents were destroyed.
The fire department was dispatched
to the scene after an employee discovered
the fire at 11:25 a.m. and called
911. Arriving crews found fire showing
from the generator building, located
within a larger manufacturing complex.
News reports indicated that a
call was then issued for all on-duty
firefighters to report to the scene, along
with mutual aid from two neighboring
municipalities.
Crews were able to knock the fire
down shortly after 12:30 p.m., according
to news reports, but remained at
the site into the early afternoon due to
hot spots in ductwork.
Investigators determined that the
fire began in a generator building when
oil that had leaked from a generator
ignited on the hot generator surface.
The fire then spread to the building
structure and into duct work.
The fire chief reported in news
accounts that the response was made
especially challenging by extreme
heat conditions and the need for
crews to remain hydrated and avoid
overexertion.
One firefighter suffered a heat-related
injury during the response. No
civilian injuries were reported.
The building was a two-story structure
with a ground floor area of 1,200
square feet (111 square meters). It was
constructed with concrete walls and
floor framing, concrete and steel roof
framing, and a roof cover of rolled
asphalt on top of a concrete roof deck.
The facility was not equipped with
automatic extinguishing or detection
systems.
Dollar losses to the building and contents
were estimated at $3.5 million.
MISSOURI
Dropped propane tank ignites
massive fire
A propane tank dropped by workers
was blamed for a large fire that injured
one worker.
Firefighters responded to a report
of an explosion at a propane cylinder
plant at 4:45 p.m. and arrived to find
a large number of propane cylinders
burning in a storage area, with numerous
tanks exploding, going airborne,
and landing both inside and outside
the property.
Crews also noted that a 33,000-gallon
bulk storage tank and two 1,000-gallon
tanks were on the property near the
fire, as well as two semi-truck trailers
containing an unknown number of propane
tanks.
Incident command quickly requested
mutual aid from multiple agencies and
the evacuation of businesses and residents
from a surrounding two-block
area.
Due to the airborne tanks, associated
shrapnel, and uncertainty about fire
involvement of the large storage tanks,
crews initially took a cautious approach
to fire attack. After a 360-degree evaluation
of the property determined
that the large tanks were not directly
involved with the fire, crews were dispatched
to protect adjacent structures
in three locations, and a ladder company
was deployed to make an aerial
attack on the burning tanks. An engine
company set up a ground monitor to
flow foam on a hydrocarbon fire and
protect the main structure.
Once the fire was brought under
control, crews entered the storage yard
to extinguish remaining fires while an
entry team performed a search of the
building and checked for fire extension.
Fire that had breached an exterior wall
was found to have been extinguished by
the building's sprinkler system.
Incident command briefed facility
management on the status of the
incident following completion of extinguishment.
Management was directed
to provide a 24-hour fire watch until
the facility's suppression system was
returned to an operational state.
WISCONSIN
Lightning strike causes fire at
manufacturing facility
A lightning strike was blamed for a fire
at a paper mill that caused an estimated
half-million dollars' worth of damage.
Firefighters were dispatched to
the scene following a 911 call from
a passerby at 8:18 p.m. The area of
the facility where the fire was concentrated
was 13 stories in height.
Firefighters were said to have the fire
under control by 9:45 p.m. Approximately
60 firefighters from six
departments worked to extinguish the
fire. One firefighter required treatment
for a heat-related injury.
Investigators determined that the fire
began inside a 36-inch fiberglass stack
on the third floor. Lightning struck a
metal framework that held the stack,
resulting in its ignition. News reports
indicated that fire caused the stack to
collapse, igniting additional fires. Fire
was confined to the immediate area,
according to reports.
The building was constructed with
metal walls and floor framing, and a
steel roof frame.
FIREWATCH is a compilation of fire incidents involving a variety of occupancies and fire types. The intent of Firewatch is to illustrate the range of fire scenarios encountered
by the fire service, present the challenges contained in those incidents, recount how the fire service addressed those challenges, and record the effectiveness of fire
protection systems, where such systems exist. The incidents are identified by NFPA's Research Group from fire reports submitted to NFPA by responding fire departments.
Some of the fire incidents that appear in Firewatch are augmented with details provided by media accounts.
76 | NFPA JOURNAL * SPRING 2022
One employee in the area of the
initial explosion was turned over to
medical crews for treatment of flash
burns.
Investigators learned from workers
at the facility that the fire began when
the workers dropped a propane tank in
the storage area's gravel lot. The tank
ignited, and fire spread rapidly to a
bulk storage area housing 20-pound
propane tanks.
The facility was a single-story structure
constructed with steel walls, roof
deck, roof cover, and concrete floor
framing.
The entire building was protected
by a wet pipe sprinkler system, which
successfully operated to extinguish fire
inside the structure.
No information was available on
monetary losses from the fire.

NFPA Journal - Spring 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2022