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At approximately 11:55 a.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2009, the Naperville Public Safety Answering Point received a fire alarm activation for a commercial warehouse located at 1651 Frontenac Road in the northwest section of Naperville. A single fire unit was dispatched to the scene. Shortly thereafter a 911 call was received reporting a fire at that address in the warehouse of Odormath Incorporated, a company that manufactures wire. The incident was upgraded to a General Alarm which sent three pumpers, two Ladder Trucks, two Ambulances, one Heavy Rescue and a compliment of Command Officers. (25 Personnel)

Fire units arrived on the scene to find smoke emitting from the roof vents of the building. Once inside the structure firefighters located a fire in a machine, which had spread to a conveyor belt system and the ventilation system for the building. The chemical material involved in the fire was identified as “Calcium Metal” a granular material that is flammable and extremely reactive when in contact with water. There was also evidence on the scene that some type of an explosion had taken place prior to the arrival of the Fire Department.

Firefighters began using specialty fire extinguishing agents that are stored on the scene for this type of fire. Suppression operations were complicated by the fact that the material cannot be exposed to water, however the fire had activated the fire sprinkler system for the building. Firefighters immediately shut down the sprinkler system and the domestic water supply for the building and continued suppression operations with specialty fire extinguishers. The incident was upgraded to a Box Alarm, which brought three additional pumpers, one additional Ladder Truck, an Ambulance and additional Chief Officers to the scene. (18 additional personnel)

The fire in the original machine was extinguished quickly but firefighters worked several hours in a labor intensive process to gain access to the burning Calcium Metal residue that was contained in the building’s ventilation system. To assist with the extinguishing efforts, a truckload of road salt was delivered to the scene by Naperville Public Works employees. Firefighters built a bed of salt inside of the structure to catch and extinguish the burning materials that were removed from the ventilation system.

There were twelve employees in the building at the time of the fire and all escaped safely. Paramedics evaluated all of the employees at the scene and none of them required transportation to the hospital. No emergency workers were injured during this operation.

Due to the complicated nature of a Calcium Metal fire, the Naperville Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team was summoned to the scene to evaluate air quality, water runoff quality and the effects the material would have on the protective equipment worn by firefighters. Based on this evaluation, much of the personal protective equipment worn by firefighters was collected at the scene and will remain in isolation until further comprehensive testing can be completed to determine potential contamination levels. A Mobile Decontamination Unit and a Mobile Air Cascade System were requested to the scene through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS). Firefighters who were exposed to products on the scene we able to shower in the decontamination unit and receive clean clothing and clean protective equipment before returning to their fire stations. There was no product runoff from the scene and no contamination outside of the original fire building.

Firefighters completed the extinguishment, overhaul and decontamination efforts at approximately 7:30 p.m. Fire Investigators are currently on the scene to determine exactly where and how the fire started. No dollar loss estimate is available at this time.

The Naperville Fire Department was assisted on the scene by Naperville Police, Naperville Emergency Management Agency personnel, the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District, the Downers Grove Fire Department, the Aurora Fire Department, the Carol Stream Fire District (MABAS Division 12) and Naperville public Works. Neighboring Fire Departments also provided coverage of Naperville fire stations while the incident was in progress.

The property will be secured for the night by the business owner, with assistance from a local board-up company. Further evaluation of the interior of the business will be conducted during daylight hours on Friday.

City of Naperville
Naperville Police Dept.
1350 Aurora Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 420-6666
info@naperville.il.us
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