November 28th, 2022
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Sunday night, October 30th, fire started at the Evergreen Recycling Center in Park City, Kansas. Early the next morning, residents continued to see flames. The center spreads out over ten acres, and housed pallets and mulch standing over 30 feet tall.
Fire crews from both the Sedgwick County Fire District 1 and the Wichita Fire Department were on site fighting the fire. They used aerial streams and brush units to help keep the fire under control. The fire required more than one million gallons of water. Crews considered the fire contained after continual burning throughout the next day finally subsided.
At a briefing, Sedgwick County Fire Chief Douglas Williams concluded that reducing winds allowed for containment of the fire on Monday. However, he expects the wind to pick up Tuesday and switch directions. “We believe when wind hits, the fire will flare back up and intensify, which is standard anytime you get a fire like this with deep, deep smoldering debris,” said Williams.
Crews have remained on the scene to keep water on the burn piles and watch for any hot spots. To ensure the community felt protected, squads set up stations near homes
Storage facilities and yards that have significant amounts of idle pallets should be aware of their substantial fire risk. A similar five-alarm fire erupted September 12th, in an outside storage area and distribution warehouse in Riverside County, California.
Risk Logic Inc. recommends maintaining outdoor idle pallet and combustible storage a safe distance from buildings and important structures. Other considerations include the provision of exterior automatic and manual fire protection. Solutions may include the relocation of the storage or making modifications to the exposed building wall(s).
Routine inspections of fire hazards and fire protection systems can minimize threats to businesses. Risk Logic engineers are equipped to perform inspections and supply property loss prevention recommendations to keep your business and building safe. Contact Risk Logic for a full inspection.