airboat assists firefighters with thick smoke
posted: 28 April 2016
by: Robert Townsend and Stephanie Graflage
Firefighters battled a large fire in Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday afternoon, when they were dispatched to Third and Oakland at around 1:50 p.m.
Those around the area reported seeing lots of black smoke coming from the building, which was identified as ACH Foam Technologies.
Smoke could be seen as far as Overland Park, Kan.
More than 50 firefighters attacked the fire that broke out in the northwest corner of the two-story warehouse.
“We had a lot of fire and as you saw, we had one heck of a column of smoke,” said John Paul Jones, Kansas City, Kansas fire chief.
Firefighters worked diligently to put out flames.
For more than 40 years, ACH has made insulation and packaging products, with polystyrene one of the most popular types. The fire chief said plant managers did an excellent job getting about 60 employees out of the warehouse quickly. The dozen 40-gallon propane tanks made it all the more urgent.
“There was heavy fire impinging on the propane tanks. We were able to cool these down, keep those from rupturing,” said Chief Jones.
No one was injured and no one had to go to the hospital for any reason. Firefighters brought in an airboat with a huge fan to help blow the remaining smoke and soot from inside the building.
They do not yet know what caused the fire. The bulk of the plant was saved by the firefighters’ ability to douse the fire quickly.
