Wisconsin Lighting Products Plant Evacuated After Dust Collector Fire

Date:  February 21, 2019
Location:  Kenosha, Wisconsin (USA)
Address:  10200 55th Street, 53144

Type:  Dust Fire

Fuel:  Metal Dust
Industry:  Lighting Products (Manufacturing)
Equipment:  Dust Collector

Company:  Kenall Manufacturing
Database Incidents:  None Recorded

Loss:  No Injuries
Capital Cost:  Unknown

Status:  Open
Confirmation:  Unconfirmed

Company Description:
According to the company website, Kenall Manufacturing was founded in 1963 and made its name by creating the first impact- and vandal-resistant lighting products. Over the years, the product line was expanded to include sealed LED lighting, high abuse lighting for public access areas; correctional, healthcare and transportation lighting, and specialized lighting controls.

In 2013 the company moved its headquarters from Gurnee, Illinois, to a  354,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Business Park of Kenosha, Wisconsin. The facility Includes fabrication machinery and equipment, finishing and assembly capabilities, a testing facility, an interactive showroom, and a training center.

Incident Description:
On February 21, 2019, Kenosha News reported a fire at a lighting products company in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The Kenosha Fire Department Battalion Chief said that firefighters arrived soon after being called to the plant at 9:26 a.m. He confirmed that the fire, which was confined to a metal dust collector, was put out in about five minutes, but it took longer to clear the thick black smoke from the building.

The Battalion Chief said that the fire department’s fans and the plant’s ventilation system were having so much difficulty clearing the smoke that the fire department in Antioch, Illinois, had to bring a fan-powered airboat to the factory and use its fan to help ventilate the building.

There were no injuries, but the company shut down temporarily while the building was being ventilated.

According to the Kenosha Fire Department Battalion Chief, there was a similar fire at the plant in 2017. At that time the company’s response was criticized because it had no emergency plan in place and didn’t immediately evacuate or call the fire department. This time, they had a plan: by the time the fire department arrived, all of the employees were outside, organized into lines, and managers had accounted for everyone.

Previous Incidents:
On April 5, 2017, Kenosha News reported a fire at Kenall Manufacturing. According to the fire department, the company reported that a machine was on fire and that workers had been unable to extinguish it.

Upon responding, the Kenosha Fire Department was concerned that over half of the 90 employees did not evacuate the building and there was no manager or supervisor on the scene with an evacuation plan. Employees had also used more than 15 fire extinguishers without success before calling the fire department.

The Battalion Chief said the fire was contained inside a dust collector attached to a laser cutting machine. It generated so much smoke that the fire department brought in two airboats to help expel smoke from the building.

No injuries were reported.

Sources:
Kenosha News (February 21, 2019)
Kenosha News (April 6, 2017)