Everett, Washington – Fire in Paper Recycling Warehouse

Everett, Washington (March 22, 2019) – A fire broke out in the warehouse building of a paper recycling warehouse on Thursday night. The building suffered  significant smoke and water damage, but no one was injured from the accident.

911 was called around 6 pm., when an employee of Fibres International warehouse saw the smoke and fire from a bale of newspaper. By the time firefighters from various neighboring cities have arrived, a light smoke was coming from the warehouse, and a fire was discovered burning in 50-foot stacks of paper bales. While the initial fire was extinguished within an hour, the bales continued smolder until they were extinguished by foam trucks from Paine Field.

Investigation is ongoing, but the cause is said to be accidental.

About Warehouse Fires

According to the NFPA, the U.S. Fire Departments respond to an average of 1,210 fires in warehouse properties, which represents less than 1% of all structure fires. While it is a small figure compared to other types of structural fires, the damage can still amount up to a huge sum. The annual average damage from warehouse fires are $155 million in direct property damage, three civilian deaths, and nineteen civilian injuries. For the causes of warehouse fires, intentionally set fires and fires caused by electrical distribution and lighting equipment are the leading causes, each accounting for 18% in the total number of fires. Flammable contents like chemicals, combustible liquids and gases, piping and filter ignite the fire in 6%of the cases, which is a smaller number but accounts for 31% of civilian injuries and 12% of property damage. Aside from these causes, warehouse and factory fires can also stem from the presence of combustible dust, hot work (metalworking such as welding, soldering, etc.) and equipment and machinery. The amount of possible hazards and the nature of work in industrial settings means that workplace and fire safety conditions should always be checked. However, accidents can still happen, and the aftermath can be a heavy burden to bear.

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