Fire at California Dairies in Tulare County

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Fire at California Dairies in Tulare County

Update: The blaze that was burning on the fourth and fifth floors of California Dairies' milk evaporation tower is now contained. Mark Nelson, the fire chief for the Visalia Fire Department, said the fire was contained shortly after 1 p.m. at the milk processor on the 2000 block of Plaza Drive in Visalia. The cause of the blaze is believed to be friction from the powdered milk as it moved through the 8-story processing unit.
About 75 workers were evacuated from the plant. There were no injuries reported.
Source: visaliatimesdelta.com

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There was an explosive fire at a dairy between Goshen and Visalia in Tulare County Monday morning.

Preliminary speculation is that the fire is a result of a dry milk product that caught on fire due to friction as the powder is processed.

The cause of the blaze is believed to be friction from the powdered milk as it moved through the 8-story processing unit.

About 75 workers were evacuated from the plant. There were no injuries reported.

The sprinklers came on and kept the fire under control until fire crews arrived to put the fire out. The plant was evacuated and workers were allowed to go home as a result of the fire.

Visalia Fire Chief Mark Nelson said, “Based on the explosion, if there was structural damage, it would be very dangerous to the fire crews inside, so they’re being very cautious in their approach as they work through the building to get to the fire.”

The fire took place on the 4th and 5th floors of the California Dairies. There were five workers on the 4th and 5th floor at the time of the fire and all are accounted for. There were no injuries in the fire but the building was badly damaged.

The blaze was a 2-alarm fire with a total of eleven units, and 40 firefighters responding.
Source: cbs47.tv/news/

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008