UPDATE: Fire rekindles at Harmony warehouse
UPDATE: More than a dozen fire departments are helping to contain a three-alarm fire at Cranberry Township-based U.S. Liner Company’s three-building manufacturing facility on Utah Street in Harmony.
Departments had contained a fire at the facility the sparked at around 8 a.m. Thursday morning, but it rekindled at around 1 p.m., causing fire departments to have to return to quell flames coming from the roof in the building's rear.
Firefighters entered the building through the roof Thursday afternoon to get to the fire on the inside.
Employees of the company waited outside as firefighters contained the fire.
Smoke was reported earlier at 8:10 a.m. to be emanating from the building. The morning fire was quickly extinguished, and no one was injured at that time.
Fire and smoke was coming from the roof of one of the company buildings as firefighters were en route to the scene, prompting a second alarm for additional fire departments to respond to the morning fire, said Harmony Fire District Deputy Fire Chief Doug Pickett
“We had multiple aerials up to get people on the roof and multiple hand lines,” Pickett said.
He said fire was found and contained in the duct work of a dust collection system and a rooftop heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit. Employees had evacuated before firefighters arrived, he said.
Firefighters had to pull the duct system apart to put out the fire, and there was some interior water damage, he said.
Pickett said the residue from manufacturing in the duct system provided little fuel to feed the fire. The byproducts are not harmful, and firefighters used normal breathing equipment and did not use any extra precautions, he said.
“We’re still trying to figure what happened,” said Michael VanRiper, U.S. Liner recycling manager.
He said the fire was small and the cause was unknown. The company will make the needed repairs, but did not when operations would return to normal.
Less than 50 of the company’s 100 employees were at work at the time and all of them safely evacuated, he said. He said the company is grateful to the firefighters who put out the fire.
The company uses glass-reinforced polypropylene composite materials to make panels for trucks, trailers, recreational vehicles, public transportation vehicles, railroad cars, shipping and storage containers, vehicles, building products and defense applications.
Also responding to the fire were the Adams Area Fire District, Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company, Callery Volunteer Fire Department and Evans City Volunteer Fire Department from the county.
Responding from Beaver County were the Big Knob Volunteer Fire Department, Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department and North Sewickley Volunteer Fire Department. From Lawrence County, the Wurtemburg-Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department and the Ellwood City Fire Department responded.
