Fire Breaks Out at Blue Ridge Fiberboard in Danville

Danville, VA - An early morning fire did some moderate damage to a Danville business.

Firefighters responded to Blue Ridge Fiberboard about 4:00 a.m.

When they arrived, they saw a large fire outside one of the main buildings, in fiber board that was stacked in the yard.

Officials say the fire had broken through into the building but the automatic sprinkler system kept the flames from doing any major damage.

The fire marshal says heat that built up in the stacks of fiber board caused that fire.

PRESS RELEASE

The investigation into the cause of the fire at Blue Ridge Fiber board has been completed. The investigation found that heat built up over a period of days in the stacks of fiber board and was not able to be dissipated due to the material being stacked tightly and wrapped in plastic. This heat build up reached the fiber board's ignition temperature and began to burn. The stacks of fiber board were against an exterior wall of the plant. The fire extended from the stacks and into the plant. The automatic sprinkler system inside of the plant was activated from the heat of the fire. The fire sprinkler system was able to hold the fire from spreading any further inside of the building.

The damage to the plant was limited to the exterior wall and a small office inside. The number of pallets of fiber board burned where in the range of one hundred.

Blue Ridge Fiber Board Engineers and the Fire Marshal's Office are working together to prevent this type of incident from occurring again.

Source - https://www.wset.com/Global/story.asp?S=13302339