Welding sparks cause fire at Titan Tire, fire officials say
11:57 AM, Sep 6, 2012 | by Tiffany De Masters | Comments Categories: News
No injuries were reported this morning after a manufacturing facility caught fire, due to sparks thrown from a welding machine.
Spokesman Brian O’Keefe, with Des Moines Fire Department, said firefighters arrived on scene at Titan Tire, 2345 E. Market St., at about 8 a.m. where smoke was coming out of multiple doors on the west side of the building.
Employees had already evacuated the building. O’Keefe said there were more than a dozen people standing outside when crews arrived.
The flames were located in the basement of the building. O’Keefe said employees were welding in the basement when sparks caught nearby combustibles and machinery on fire.
The flames were contained to the machine by the building’s sprinkler system. O’Keefe said the water didn’t put the fire out but kept it from spreading.
Amount of damages is unknown at this time. O’Keefe said he didn’t know the cost of the machinery but it wasn’t part of the manufacturing process.
The plant has many raw materials and combustible liquids onsite. O’Keefe said the business has permits for storage of such items and were inspected by the fire department in July with no issues.
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Tiffany De Masters
Tiffany De Masters covers Urbandale, Johnston and Grimes for the Des Moines Register. Tiffany can be reached at tdemasters@dmreg.com or on Twitter via @tiffdemasters.
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/09/06/welding-sparks-cause-fire-at-titan-tire-fire-officials-say/