Spray Booth Fire at Chrysler Plant Confined by Aggressive Volunteers
A fire that rapidly ran the 320-foot length of the paint spray booth in the Chrysler assembly plant in Newark, Del., was confined to a limited area in the 39-acre building by an aggressive attack by volunteer fire fighters. The fire had the potential of a large loss in one of the two Chrysler plants scheduled to produce the K-Car.
The alarm struck at 1722 hours last June 10, and was the first of what were to become the equivalent of five alarms that brought 300 volunteer fire fighters to the scene.
The involved building, of fire resistive construction, was 2250 feet long and 750 feet wide, and it varied in height from 40 to 60 feet. At the time of the fire several hundred workers were engaged in the retooling of the plant to manufacture the new cars. However, in the immediate area of the fire, there was only a handful of workers.
The fire resulted from the accidental ignition of a flammable liquid in the sluiceway of a 320 x 24 x 12-foot paint booth.
The initial dispatch from the New Castle County Emergency Communications Center to the Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company, which serves as the Newark Fire Department, activated the response of two two-piece engine companies, a truck company, a heavy rescue company and an ambulance. First arriving units encountered heavy smoke billowing from virtually every vertical opening in the building. The second alarm was requested at 1729 hours by the first-in engine and the third was ordered at 1734 by the chief of the department.
While the additional personnel and apparatus were moving to the fireground or to cover the two empty Newark stations, the personnel on the scene were maneuvering long hose lines into position inside the building to surround the heavily envolved paint booth. Simultaneously, personnel from the truck companies were engaged in ventilating the roof to prevent the lateral spread of fire and to ease the heat and smoke conditions for the hose crews working inside the building.
Roof collapsing
The first truck company to reach the roof found fire coming through the roof and the massive ventilation system over the paint booth sinking through the roof. This information was immediately relayed to the chief at the command post on the south side of the plant and officers directing interior fire attack operations were cautioned to keep their personnel from this hazard. This coordination of multiple fireground activities by the officers in charge of various sectors resulted in safe and effective action.
Photos by Neal Williams
At 1748 hours, the chief was notified by Chrysler employees that there was insufficient water pressure in the plant’s fire protection system for hydrants and sprinkler systems. Realizing the seriousness of this development, the chief requested additional apparatus, primarily to augment the fire fighters and to stretch hose lines for Newark water mains to feed into the plant’s system.
Eventually, it was discovered that a 10-inch water line had ruptured when the plant’s fire pumps were activated. Due to the confusion and massiveness of the fire and the remoteness of the break, it went undetected for several hours. Plant personnel in charge of the fire pumps had erroneously assumed that all available water was being supplied to the fire.
Apparatus at scene
There were now 20 engines, four trucks, five ambulances and three rescue units from 11 Delaware volunteer fire companies and one Maryland volunteer fire company working on the fireground. Police from Newark, New Castle County, and the State of Delaware, as well as fire police, were busy rerouting traffic from the immediate area, which was becoming crowded with fire suppression and support vehicles.
The communication van, CV-1, from the Wilmington Fire Department, a career department, arrived and was used as a command post by the chief. All fireground communications were relayed through CV-1 and personnel from the various supporting agencies met there to discuss their tasks. In addition to coordinating operations of the 12 volunteer fire companies with 300 fire fighters, the command post served as the control point for a New Castle County paramedic ambulance, the Delaware State Police helicopter, the media, the police agencies, Newark electric and water officials, Chrysler plant officials, environmental control officers, ladies auxiliary members, the Salvation Army and even Gov. Pierre S. du Pont IV, who arrived early in the fire.
With additional water supplies on tap and engine companies positioning and repositioning hose lines and truck crews ventilating, overhauling and checking for extension, the fire was contained and its spread stopped at 1825 hours.
Special units called
The tedious job of overhauling the huge fire began and two air units were called to resupply the hundreds of breathing apparatus being used. A staging area was set up inside the building for the breathing apparatus, spare bottles and relief crews. Personnel were rotated during this lengthy phase of the operation to reduce the possibility of exhaustion. Also, four light and power units were requested to supply additional lighting for the extended night operations.
Fire company personnel remained on the scene until 0340 hours the next morning, when the plant was turned over to the control of the plant protection personnel.
The fire damage to the building was repaired during July and August and the first K-Car rolled off the assembly line in September.
The fire companies’ knowledge of the plant, its hazards and the secondary water system, together with aggressive engine company and truck company operations, made the difference between what would have been almost total destruction and the loss which did occur. The intensity of the fire can be judged by the opening of 1097 sprinkler head, some as far as 600 feet from the seat of the fire.
This article is the result of efforts by the Staff of the Delaware State Fire School, the Chief Officers of the Newark Fire Department and the staff of The New Castle County Emergency Communications Center.
