Date: June 6, 2019
Location: Bennington, New Hampshire (USA)
Address: 117 Antrim Road, 03442
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Paper Dust
Industry: Paper Products (Pulp and Paper)
Equipment: Fan
Company: Monadnock Paper Mills Inc.
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: $10,000 to $20,000
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Monadnock Paper Mills Inc. was founded in 1819, making it the oldest, continuously operating paper mill in the United States. It provides a wide range of paper products including technical/specialty papers, premium printing and packaging papers for leading brands.
Incident Description:
On June 7, 2019, the Sentinel Source reported a two-alarm fire at a paper mill in Bennington, New Hampshire.
Fire crews responded at around 9:45 a.m. on June 6. The Assistant Chief bumped the incident to a second alarm after realizing the fire had spread from one of the machine hoods onto the roof.
It took nearly three hours to get the flames under control. Fire crews remained on site until noon, checking for embers in the ceiling or vents.
According to the Ledger-Transcript, the fire was caused by overheated ball bearings in a fan above one of the paper machines. The fan is part of the building’s venting and cooling system. A sprinkler system was activated until fire crews arrived.
Approximately 25 employees were in the area where the fire started. They activated the fire protocols before evacuating along with the rest of the workers.
Damage was estimated at between $10,000 and $20,000.
No injuries were reported.
Previous Incidents:
On July 24, 2013, Paper Age reported a July 3 fire in the plant’s electrical room. There were no injuries and damage was minimal.
