| At 0805 hours, Station 33 (Honey Brook), Station 49 (East Brandywine), Station 48 (Glenmoore) and Rescue 69 (Twin Valley) were dispatched to Custom Woodworking on Route 322 in Honey Brook Township for a reported building fire. Deputy 33 (Klinger) responded and was advised they were reporting a fire in the dust collection system. Deputy 33 arrived on location and established Horseshoe Pike Command. After speaking with the building owner it was determined some type of fire was present in the collector bin and additional resources were requested through the Chester County Fireboard bringing Lancaster Rescue 30 (Weaverland).
Engine 33-1 arrived and it's crews began deploying hand lines in service both from below and above the dust-collecting unit prior to opening the unit. Based on the potential hazards associated with dust explosions, crews were removed from the top of the unit until the situation became more manageable and monitored the changing fire conditions from Ladder 49. Chief 49 arrived and was assigned as the Operations officer to help mitigate some of the risks associated with confined space small particle fires which if given the right conditions can cause a violent explosion.
While the outside unit was being addressed interior crews evaluated all of the duct work inside the building and checked for extension. After the initial knock down the tedious task of removing the “vacuum like” bags from the unit was undertaken in conjunction with owner and mechanic.
All units cleared the scene around 9:30am.
Thank you to Wagontown Fire Company and Garden Spot Fire Rescue for covering the areas while crews operated at this assignment. |
