Manufacturing Mill Fire (Methuen, MA - December 1995) » Key Issues

Issues	Comments
Construction	The property was a large complex of interconnected mill construction buildings with narrow spaces between the major structures.
Weather Conditions	Operations were conducted in winter conditions with temperatures below 10 degrees F and 40 mph winds driving the flames. Frozen hydrants and high winds hampered the fire suppression efforts within the mill complex.
Fire Origin	An explosion of unknown origin ignited the fire in a processing area, inside a large manufacturing building.
Search & Rescue	The Methuen Fire Department performed search and rescue in more than 56,000 square feet of mill floor space with a very limited number of personnel on the scene. The need for search and rescue operations delayed fire discovery for about 15 minutes.
Fire Discovery	A waterflow alarm was transmitted without delay. However, the location of the fire was not discovered until search and rescue operations had been completed.
Automatic Sprinklers	The sprinkler system was overtaxed early due to the number of heads activated by the initial explosion. Some of the sprinkler piping may have been damaged by the explosion.
Casualties	27 civilian injuries, including 12 with critical burns, and 6 firefighter injuries.
Exterior Storage	Semi-trailers, which were used for additional storage within the complex, blocked access to some areas and to yard hydrants. Some of the trailers became involved in the fire.
Mutual Aid	Mutual aid was requested immediately. More than 400 firefighters and units from more than 50 fire departments eventually responded.
Pre-Fire Planning	No pre-fire plan information was available. Mill employees had useful information and tried to help.
Defensive Strategy	Due to the size of the building, limited water supply and the rapid fire spread, defensive strategy was employed. The fire could not be stopped until it reached an open area where defensive forces could be assembled.

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