Equipment malfunction prompts large fire response at food processing facility in Versailles

VERSAILLES — A malfunction with a thermal heating oil tank prompted a large fire response at a food processing facility in Versailles Sunday afternoon, according to Versailles Fire Chief Brian Pearson.

As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, fire crews responded to King’s Command Food Inc. on N. Center Street around noon on Sunday.

Upon arrival, crews learned a thermal heating oil tank had malfunctioned causing heavy, dense smoke to spread through the facility.

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“A valve broke, and then when that was hitting atmospheric conditions it was creating a reaction in here,” Pearson said.

Crews on scene upgraded the response to a second alarm and called for mutual aid.

“We had a lot of water flow, sprinkler heads going off, and initially we were just taking a lot of precautionary measures to whatever we were going to come across,” Pearson said.

At the time of the incident, one contractor was inside the facility, but they were able to evacuate with no problem.

“This thermal oil, it’s 550 degrees inside the building so when that valve faulted, there’s that temperature release and that’s what was giving us the high heat alarms in a few of the adjacent rooms and additional activations,” Pearson said.

The facility had very little damage from this incident, according to Pearson.

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He believes employees can return to work on Monday with normal operations.

No one was injured during this response.

The Versailles Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Russia Community Fire Company, Osgood Community Fire Company, Gettysburg Rural Fire Department, Bradford Fire Department, Greenville Fire Department, and Burkettsville Community Fire Department.

“We had great help with dispatch, getting us some help here, great response times from all of our mutual aid today. Everything just went as it should,” Pearson said.

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