Firefighters with the Clinton Fire Department have responded twice in less than one week to CCL Industries on Railroad Street after commercial structure fires broke out at the facility, according to Chief Hagan Thornton.
The first fire was reported on Monday, Sept. 22, at 2:28 p.m., and the second came late Saturday night, Sept. 27, at 11:17 p.m. In both cases, crews arrived to find a working fire with smoke showing inside the building.
Thornton said both fires originated in the plant’s dust collector system, a piece of equipment that has proven problematic in the past. The chief noted that this marks the third time in the past year that the same dust collector has burned inside the building.
“Saturday night’s fire was contained to the machine itself,” Thornton said. “Monday’s fire had extended into the insulation on the interior side of the building.”
Company officials are now working on a more permanent fix. Thornton said office staff from CCL Industries are in the process of relocating the dust collector to the exterior of the facility. A new unit has already been ordered and is scheduled to arrive by November. If all goes as planned, it will be installed by January.
The replacement system is expected to reduce fire risk significantly, as it comes equipped with its own built-in fire suppression system.