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A paper mill’s internal fire team extinguished a plant fire

Posted on by SST

A paper mill in South Carolina sustained minimal damage after a small fire erupted in a paper machine winder. 

As reported by NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach WMBF, a fire broke out June 26 at 10:56 p.m. at the Sonoco plant, a paper mill located in Hartsville, S.C., involving one of the mill's large roller machines that winds industrial-sized rolls of paper to be resized for commercial applications.

The on-site Sonoco emergency teams, in conjunction with the Hartsville Fire Department, used a combination of fire extinguisher and fire suppression technology to squash the fire inside minutes of its starting.

"The fire was 99 percent out when we got there," Jeff Burr, fire chief of the Hartsville Fire Department, told WPDE News. "You know, Sonoco has its [own] fire brigade. We just helped them double check everything before we left."

Brian Risinger, manager of corporate communications for the Sonoco plant, said the fire occurred during a shift change and that the production line had been brought to a halt for routine maintenance. He also noted that no injuries were reported among employees or firefighters. No evacuations were required as a result of the incident. 

The mayor of Hartsville, Mel Pennington, has plans to join Risinger and other company officials to assess the damage to the plant. Currently, there are no estimates, but Risinger noted that a portion of the roof has been cut out to evaluate any damage to the roof as well as to determine if the fire extended to the rooftop.

Burr noted that firefighters from the Hartsville Fire Department checked the roof to ensure that the fire had not spread to that area of the facility or that any hot spots existed. He noted that it appeared the fire spread to a nearby wall.

Industrial Safety News brought to you by Safety Systems Technology, Inc., leaders in fire and gas detection systems.

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