Sprinklers douse fire at Post Falls business

by BRIAN WALKER/[email protected]
| May 2, 2015 9:00 PM

POST FALLS - A sprinkler system prevented a fire from spreading to the structure of a Post Falls-area manufacturer on Friday afternoon.

The fire at FMI-EPS LLC, formerly known as Foam Molders Inc., at 14182 W. Hayden Ave. just east of McGuire Road was contained to foam blocks at the business. The building was evacuated as a precaution.

"The cause was fumes ignited by a hand-held torch," said Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Division Chief Dan Ryan. "The sprinkler system was activated and contained the fire."

Ryan said the torch was being used to activate shrink wrap prior to shipping. The torch was being used in an area where it's not typically and where foam was curing.

"The only impact to the business is some lost product and cleanup," Ryan said. "I expect them to be back in full production by Monday."

Ryan said the incident is a prime example of the benefits of fire suppression sprinkler systems.

"It made things easy on us," he said. "We like these."

FMI-EPS manufactures its foam insulation and packaging materials from a plastic foam called expanded polystyrene, or EPS for short.