Firefighters with the Jasper Volunteer Fire Department didn’t have far to travel as they looked into a potential fire that was thought to have possibly broken out in a dust collection system at a Jasper furniture manufacturer late Thursday morning.
Around 11:10 am yesterday, firefighters responded to a call at the Jasper Desk plant a division of the Jasper Group located just a block and a half east of the downtown fire station at the corner of East 6th and Anderson Streets.
Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang says an operator was in the process of using a rip saw when some small pieces of lumber were collected into the system and ignited.
Hochgesang says when the dust collection system indicated hot sparks, the system’s flame-x, which sprays water to prevent sparks from reaching the collection system, activated which extinguished the blaze. However, it produced an amount of smoke that filled the plant.
Firefighters who were on hand to make sure there was no actual fire in the dust collection system took sections of the system apart to verify if any hot material remained in the system before it could reach the bin.
30 Jasper firefighters along with 3 trucks responded and were at the scene for an hour.
Hochgesang says no damage was sustained to the collection system.
