Stations 1, 19 and 26 responded to a structure fire at the Dayco Plant located at 938 Thunderbolt Drive at 1037, Tuesday morning 11-May. Engine 19 arrived two minutes later to report heavy smoke conditions in the four story dust collection building attached to the 120,000 square foot rubber products manufacturing facility. The building collects and bags rubber waste and thick black rubber dust from the rest of the plant and is fed from two large pressurized external ducts on the roof of the plant. The building is monitored regularly while the plant is operating and was checked 15 minutes prior to the fire. The fire appears to have started in a large hopper, four stories off the ground causing damage to the machine and the metal building around the machinery. Engine 19 deployed two 1-3/4 handlines to the building, accessing the interior through a large rollup door. Engine 26 laid 600 feet of 5 inch supply line from a hydrant across the street from the facility. Ladder 19 set up on the front of the facility. Firefighters knocked the fire down within 15 minutes, however smoldering rubber throughout the system continued to produce heavy smoke for several hours. Firefighters monitored the interior of the building with air monitoring equipment and placed several personnel on the roof of the main building to 

monitor the duct system. Two hours into the incident a fire was detected in the number 2 duct system, which had to be dismantled by company maintenance staff to allow firefighters to extinguish the fire inside the duct. There was no extension of fire into the main building. Firefighters, working in teams of four,  rotated out of the dust collection building, working from the four story high cat walks until the fire was completely extinguished. 

Sheriff’s Deputies rerouted traffic on Thunderbolt Drive for four hours until the 5 inch supply line could be removed. Representatives from EPD and DHEC responded to the scene due to rubber runoff from the fire streams which flowed through the parking lot to a ditch along Thunderbolt Drive. No hazards were found and company personnel quickly cleaned up the product after the incident. The factory has a good safety program in place. All employees evacuated the facility as Fire-Rescue units were arriving. Company officials accounted for all workers following the evacuation. There were no injuries reported during the incident.

Engine 1, Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 1, Ladder 19, Medic 19, Medic 27, Car 11, Car 12, Car 111 responded. Asst. Chief David Greene and Captain Scott Feather operated the Command Post. Dayco, EPD and DHEC officials were also at the Command Post.