Fighting burning dust all in a day’s work for NAFD

New Albany Fire Crews were dispatched and kept busy at a fire on North Glenfield road Friday, February 9th at noon.

Upon arrival, crews found a dust collector involved heavily with fire.  The dust collector was being dismantled to be relocated to another facility in another city when the fire occurred.

New Albany Deputy Chief Mark Whiteside reported that the fire dept was aware the dust collector would be dismantled and moved from the location here in our city, but was not aware it was being done at this time. “Not an issue to us, and it was an accidental fire” reported Whiteside.

The dust collector was at a building that once housed a woodworking facility, and had been out of service for an extended time.  The building has been renovated, and is going to be the location of another type of business. The dust collector was of no use to the new business moving into the renovated building.

“It was just one of those types of fires that all you can do is put a large amount of water on to extinguish. Whenever you are dealing with any type dust, it can be a problem for firefighters.  Dust can ignite in a flash fire.

“The dust was not a major concern. This material had been sitting for so long, we believe it was more compacted than dusty, but we never want to take any unnecessary chances.  We just used large hoses, plenty of water, a different style nozzle (we don’t use very often), paid close attention to the temperature, and watched personnel very closely to insure their safety. Chief Steve Coker and I just kept a constant eye on the scene, while fire crews did what they do best, and are trained to do,” stated Whiteside.

No injuries were reported, but traffic was slowed some while the supply line from the hydrant, along with fire vehicles, were in one lane of traffic.

“The dust collector’s inner parts were damaged, but can be repaired after it is moved to its new location, from what we were told.  We understand construction crews are planning to complete the move the first part of the week,” said Whiteside.