BTU: Large 5 Story Structure Fire Ronald B. Robie Power Plant in Thermalito

Thursday, November 22, 2012

BTU: Large 5 Story Structure Fire Ronald B. Robie Power Plant in Thermalito

CAL FIRE / Butte County Fire Department

Ronald B. Robie Power Plant fire, photo courtesy Cal Fire

Battling a fire at the Ronald B. Robie Power Plant in Thermalito (Butte County). The fire is well established in the 5 story building and crews will be at scene for multiple days.

Firefighters cannot do much to fight a fire burning in an underground control room of a California Department of Water Resources power plant near Oroville, Oroville and Chico Fire Departments are providing Mutual Aid.

The five story blaze started around 7:32 a.m., with crews finding the second floor control room under “heavy fire.” Officials note that the fire is affecting 4 below-ground stories along with an above-ground level.

Oroville and Chico Fire crews, along with Butte County Fire Volunteers, made multiple attacks on the inside, but were forced to focus their efforts outside thanks to the dangers of the power plant.

A fire extinguisher system looks to have activated before firefighters made their attack, but it did not stop the blaze.

Officials note that the blaze will require personnel to stay at the scene for “several” days. The exact cause of the blaze has not been determined yet.

CFN - California Fire News 2012

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Thursday, November 22, 2012