By MELANIE NELSON
Staff Writer
BRISTOL — Quick thinking by an employee at the
Technical Elastomers and Components — or TEC — plant
helped to contain a potentially explosive fire.
 |
|
Bristol firefighters are washed down in a
temporary decontamination area set up outside the
TEC plant on Pleasant Street in Bristol Wednesday.
A three-alarm fire inside the plant raised
concerns about hazardous materials and all crews
wore protective masks and oxygen tanks while
inside. (Citizen Photo/Kevin Sperl) |
The three-alarm blaze broke out late Wednesday
morning in the tumbler room at the former Freudenburg
NOK plant on Pleasant Street. At the time, an employee
was working on a piece of machinery, which contains
highly flammable and hazardous solvents that are used
to coat metal car parts, when it caught fire,
explained Fire Chief Norm Skantze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the
state Fire Marshal’s Office.
Company officials hope to have the plant back in
full operation in a few days.
Skantze said the employee attempted to put the fire
out with an extinguisher, but couldn’t control it,
prompting the worker to shut down the piece of
equipment and pull the fire alarm.
In addition, as the employee left the room, he shut
the door which was a big help in containing the fire
and damage to the tumbler room.
Around 350 employees were evacuated from the plant
and the fire alarm also activated the sprinkler
system, which kept the fire under control until
firefighters were able to bring in hoses, Skantze
explained.
Because of the high potential for an explosive
fire, firefighters were very cautious when entering
the building and kept the sprinkler system going until
they thought the fire had been put out. At the same
time, other fire crews were on the roof taking out
skylights for ventilation.
Skantze said they began the cleanup and assessing
inside using the thermal imaging camera to check for
hot spots from possible extensions.
It was then that Lt. Chris Dolloff noticed a
buildup of heat in the ceiling and just as the crew on
the roof opened another venting area, the fire
reignited, he said.
Firefighters turned on the sprinkler system again
and continued to douse the piece of machinery with
water until the fire was fully extinguished.
As crews exited the building, many had to empty
their boots of several inches of water. Bristol
Firefighter Dyer Taylor said when he bent down on one
knee, 10 inches or more of water filled his boot. The
firefighters then had to go to the decontamination
area where they were scrubbed down with dish soap and
water.
While there wasn’t much damage visible from the
outside, Skantze said the interior of the 20-foot by
30-foot tumbler room suffered significant damage.
TEC Regional Manager Lynn Preston said they are
hoping the fire doesn’t slow down production too much.
"Fortunately it looks like the plant will be up and
running pretty soon," she said adding that they have
other equipment which performs almost the same
function.
The several thousand gallons of water that was used
to put out the fire will have to be removed and
trucked away for disposal, she said.
TEC brought in a hazardous material cleanup company
to deal with the runoff of water in the event it could
have harmful chemicals in it, said Skantze.
Because of the company’s daily use with highly
flammable chemicals, it is not uncommon for them to
have small fires. However, Preston and Facilities
Manager Rene LeFebvre said this was by far the biggest
one they have had.
Members of the Bristol Fire Department have done
several practice drills at the plant over the years
and Skantze said he has taken tours on numerous
occasions to get an idea of how the plant is laid out
and where everything is stored.
"We have always had a good working relationship
with them," he said.
Skantze said while he advised his crew on how to
proceed, the directors of plant maintenance and safety
from TEC assisted with shutting down all the utilities
and ventilation system in the building. They also
explained the chemicals used in the tumbler and their
composition.
"The maintenance and safety personnel were
immediately aware of how the whole process works and
the chemistry of the solvents being used," he said.
"They did all the research on the chemicals and were
advising me based on what they could find out about
the chemicals."
Both Skantze and Preston said they felt the
training paid off as everything happened like
clockwork. No one was injured and the fire was
contained to the room where it started.
"Everything that needed to happen, happened," he
said. "Everything went as well as it could under the
circumstances."
The only problem, Skantze said, was that he had
called for their pumper truck at least three times
before remembering that it is at a mechanics shop in
Manchester having its engine fixed.
New Hampton assisted with laying the first hose
lines while Franklin extended the ladder from their
truck to the roof to use as a second means of egress
for fire personal had it become necessary.
The Central NH Hazardous Material Team also came to
the scene to assist with the handling of the hazardous
material.
Other departments who assisted were Bridgewater,
Ashland, Meredith, Hebron, Alexandria and Hill.
Bristol was the last of the departments to clear the
scene at around 3:30 p.m.
Working late into the evening on Wednesday, members
of the state Fire Marshall’s Office were unable to
determine the cause of the fire and will be working
with TEC to determine where it started and why, said
Skantze.
