Firefighters Extinguish Ethanol Fire at Distillery

PFA Firefighters extinguished an ethanol fire at a distillery Wednesday afternoon. Three patients were assessed and thankfully there were no injuries. The HAZMAT team was dispatched since ethanol is highly flammable, toxic and a strong oxidizer which created a potentially more volatile scene.

At 12:59, Engine 6 was dispatched to a fire alarm at a commercial building on the 300 block of Link Ln. Upon arrival, the crew saw smoke. The response was quickly upgraded to a working fire and additional resources were dispatched. The alarm went off and units were already on the way when an employee of the business called in the incident. They reported that it was an ethanol fire and the HAZMAT team was requested.

Ethanol fires are nearly invisible and burn incredibly hot. The fire “flashed” almost immediately filling the nearly 1,500 sq. ft. room with invisible flames and creating intensely high heats. Garage door insulation melted and covered many of the items inside. Crews evacuated the adjacent business and ensured that all those present were accounted for and away from the area. Firefighters attacked the fire with an abundance of water and foam to dilute the ethanol and extinguish the flames.

The burst was enough to knock down items from the wall shared between the two businesses. The fire was contained to the room of origin, which was the receiving room of the distillery. Air levels were closely monitored until determined to be safe. A PFA fire investigator determined the cause of the fire to be unintentional and attributed to mechanical failure or malfunction.