MCPHERSON COUNTY—A fire caused an evacuation at a food plant in McPherson Thursday night.
Just after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, the McPherson Fire Department was dispatched to Wald Family Foods, at 1144 Bridger Court, for an automatic fire alarm reporting water flow from the facility’s fire sprinkler system, according to a media release. Two engines with six personnel responded on the initial alarm.
Upon arrival, the first engine crew observed fire on the roof of the facility and requested a second alarm. Four command vehicles were dispatched, and mutual aid was requested from the Inman Fire Department and Galva Fire Department. The McPherson Police Department, McPherson County Sheriff’s Office, and McPherson EMS also responded.
All employees safely evacuated the facility before fire crews arrived.
The first-arriving crew entered the facility and located a fire involving an oven on a production line. Firefighters immediately began extinguishment efforts inside the building. The second-arriving crew deployed a hoseline to the roof to extinguish the fire surrounding the oven’s exhaust system.
The fire was brought under control within approximately 20 minutes. Additional responding crews assisted with cooling the equipment, checking for fire extension, and removing smoke from the facility.
McPherson EMS established a firefighter rehabilitation area. Due to the high ambient temperature and heat index, firefighters were rotated through rehabilitation more frequently than normal.
An investigation determined that the fire was accidental. An equipment malfunction caused the assembly line to stop while the ovens continued operating, allowing excessive heat to build up. The heat ignited accumulated grease residue and food debris inside the oven.
The fire grew beyond the employees’ ability to control it with portable fire extinguishers. It then traveled through the oven’s roof exhaust system and ignited roofing materials adjacent to the exhaust.
The total fire department response included four engines, one heavy rescue, one quick-attack unit, four command vehicles, and 21 personnel.
The final McPherson Fire Department unit cleared the scene at approximately 1 a.m. No injuries were reported.