Fire at Visalia, California International Paper facility



Fire at Visalia, California International Paper facility | International Paper, fire,

VISALIA, California (From news reports)- A paper production machine caused a fire at a business early Sunday, Visalia Fire Department officials say.

At around 7:42 a.m., firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at International Paper in Visalia Industrial Park.

When the unit arrived, smoke was coming from the roof of the business. Employees told firefighters there was a fire on the roof, as well as inside the business.

One fire crew was directed to ladder the building and check the units on the roof for any fire damage while other fire crews pulled hose lines to the interior of the business.

There were multiple fires that were located in the ceiling area.

Due to the size and need for additional resources, a second alarm was requested.

The crews assigned to the interior of the business were able to locate and extinguish fires.

The fire caused nearly $25,000 in damage to the paper production unit and ceiling materials, but due to the quick extinguishment, more than $70 million worth of property was saved.

There were no injuries reported and the cause was determined to be the overheating and mechanical malfunction of one of the paper production machines.