Yuma, Arizona - On Friday, at approximately 8:15 pm, a pull station fire alarm was received from the International Paper Company, 2641 East 24th Street. Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a large warehouse building at that location. It was determined that machinery inside the building was on fire, and the fire suppression sprinkler system was keeping the fire contained.
Firefighters entered the building, located the area that was burning, and extinguished the fire.
The fire was originally discovered by employees working at the facility who initially attempted to extinguish the fire themselves. When their efforts were not successful, a manual pull station alarm was activated. Shortly after that, the heat from the fire began to activate the sprinkler heads which contained the fire to the machinery where the fire had started. Fire damage was limited to the area of the machinery, and the ceiling area above. The open spaces of the building sustained additional smoke damage. No injuries to employees or YFD personnel were reported.
Fire sprinkler systems can keep fires from spreading and can also extinguish them. Fire spreads quickly and can double in size every minute. Even small fires can cause significant damage to property and endanger those nearby. Contrary to many Hollywood portrayals, only sprinkler heads directly exposed to the heat activate, not those in the rest of the room, building, or complex.