11-Alarm Fire Overcomes Sprinklers, Ruins $20-Million Industrial Complex
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An 11-alarm fire that destroyed an industrial complex, even though it was protected by an automatic sprinkler system, is expected to be listed as one of the largest losses in a sprinklered building in 1980. Preliminary estimates for the fire in Totowa, N.J., have been set at $20 million.
Radiant heat and flying embers damaged three other buildings.
Situated on Westend Road, the plant measured 650,000 square feet with a roof area covering eight acres. The building was one and two stories in height, with exterior masonry walls and unprotected steel frame. The fire protection features were a sprinkler system with a 300,000-gallon water tank supported by two fire pumps.
The building was used as a warehouse and offices by Joseph Markovits, a nationwide manufacturer of plastic flowers and plants. Part of the huge building was also leased to several small distributing companies, which included the Publishers National Distribution Center and Amber Warehouse.
Sprinklers activated
I he fire, which started in the northeast corner of the building near the boiler room was discovered by an employee who tried to extinguish it with portable fire extinguishers.
The sprinkler system activated and the Totowa Fire Department received an alarm at 11:04 a.m. last Feb. 13. The first units to arrive were Engines 1,2 and 3, Rescue 1 and Squrt 1 under the command of Assistant Chief Allen Del Vecchio. On arrival, the fire fighters had difficulty reaching the main body of fire because of heavy smoke and aisles blocked by stacked pallets of book cartons.
Several holes were cut in the roof in an effort to relieve the pent-up heat and smoke, and to channel the fire away from other interior exposures. A wall was also breached for better access to the fire. The lack of aisle space forced fire fighters to stretch a 1 ‘/a -inch line over the top of the high-piled storage to reach the fire.
Asphalt roof burns
When the main body of fire was located, it was found to involve a large amount of rolled paper. At this point, the fire fighters had to retreat to the outside due to the extreme heat traveling in a stratum under the roof. This heat caused the asphalt roof to melt, dropping tar on fire fighters. The involvement of the large roof area with approximately 100 tons of asphalt material caused a secondary class B fire which contributed to the already high fire load. The fire load of the occupancy consisted of some of the following: plastic flowers, paper publications, books, large paper rolls for the printing industry, V.E.P. (thinner for perfume), fuel oil additives and other flammable products.
Mutual aid was called at 12:05 p.m. and the Passaic County Mutual Aid Plan was placed in effect. More than 30 units responded from Little Falls, West Paterson, Paterson, Wayne, Fairfield, Nutley, Cedar Grove, Teaneck, Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park.
Exterior fireground operations were hampered by low water pressure and an accident in which a tractor-trailer truck knocked over a hydrant during the fire. The fast spreading heat was so intense that many sprinkler heads opened during the early stages of the fire. The fire overwhelmed the sprinkler system and when sections of the roof collapsed, many sprinkler lines were ruptured. When this happened, the fire department, in an effort to conserve the limited available water for master streams, closed the outside valves to the sprinkler system.
Burns for eight days
This fire was not extinguished; it burned for eight days and smoldered for several weeks until demolition crews removed the debris. The fact that it was contained to the original fire building and not allowed the opportunity to involve the entire industrial park in a conflagration can be credited to the determined stand made by fire fighters.
The lessons learned from this fire are not new to the fire service. Large loss fires like this have happened before and probably will happen again. We must bear in mind that a sprinkler system is not a panacea for all fire problems. Buildings of such large area and fire loading should be designed with division walls, fire stops, draft curtains, and automatic roof and explosion venting to prevent fire from getting away from the sprinkler system.
Special sprinkler systems with adequate water supplies must be installed for high-hazard occupancies. Proper code enforcement and fire prevention inspections are paramount if fire departments are to keep abreast with the ever-changing occupancies and their fire problems.
