Industrial fire forces employees to evacuate Richland cardboard plant
A difficult to reach fire inside one of Richland’s largest industrial plants forced dozens of employees to evacuate Wednesday afternoon.
Cardboard chips and dust caught fire underneath machinery about 5:45 p.m. at the Packaging Corporation of America plant in north Richland, Battalion Chief Adam Hardgrove told the Tri-City Herald.
The 250,000-square-foot plant at 3003 Kingsgate Way, north of the Horn Rapids Golf Course, produces corrugated cardboard packaging.
By the time firefighters arrived, plant managers had evacuated everyone except for necessary personnel. They were using fire extinguishers, but weren’t able to reach all the flames.
Hardgrove explained the fire was underneath the machinery and difficult to access. Firefighters needed to remove some of the metal plates on the floor and cut through a conveyor belt to get access.
They were able to extinguish it about an hour later.
The blaze didn’t cause major damage, but it did require firefighters to air out the building before people could be allowed back in.
No one was hurt.
Richland firefighters had help from crews from Kennewick Fire Department and Benton County Fire District 4.