Several Whatcom County Fire District (WCFD7) units were dispatched after 2am to a report of a fire at Alcoa Intalco Works.
According to WCFD7 Assistant Fire Chief Larry Hoffman, they found the fire burning in the carbon plant building’s ducting.
As of 7am, crews remained on the scene to cool the duct work with water from Ladder 41. There were no injuries due to the fire, Hoffman confirmed.
According to Hoffman, “These can be tricky to extinguish based on the large scale of the duct work, the height, and gaining access. The sprinkler system in the unit did its job and controlled the fire until crews could arrive and work to fully extinguish it.”
In addition to the Intalco fire crew, there were 14 units on scene with 42 people involved in fighting the fire. It is unknown when they will clear the scene according to Hoffman.
Update 9:45am
WCFD7 units have since cleared from the scene. Alcoa spokesperson Josh Wilund said the fire has been contained. Wilund said, “The fire was isolated to ductwork associated with the emission control system connected to the carbon plant.”
