Fire Department

Engine 4 was dispatched for the report of an alarm. As E4 entered the front of the store, they noticed a light haze and the smell of burning paper. The store representative led firefighters to the delivery storage area in the back of the store, where they were having some work done on a commercial cardboard baler. A welder on scene said he was torch cutting damaged guide rail out of the baler, and during that torching, some cardboard debris on top of the baler ignited. They put the fire out with a pail of water, and had opened the back delivery bay door to try to ventilate. E4 removed the rest of the cardboard debris from the top of the baler, and poured another pail of water on all of the collected cardboard to make sure all the fire was out. E4 opened up all doors in the store to help facilitate ventilation, checked in the interstitial space above the ceiling tiles for extension, found none, and reset the alarm system. The back storage room where this baler is located was full with a new delivery of unprotected produce. E4 called for the health department based on the smoke impingement on the food. With no other fire issue, the health inspector took control of the scene, and E4 returned in service.