Quick response extinguishes fire near fuel

Photo By Sgt. Judith Dacosta | 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron pack up their gear after successfully extinguishing a fire that originated in a 1.5 mega watt generator near three 5,000 gallon tanks of fuel in Balad, Iraq May 9. Usually a 2,000 ft. cordon would be established around the scene of the fire; however, the fire was extinguished so quickly that it was unnecessary, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Dana Council, a 332nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron provost marshal at the scene of the incident.  

05.19.2006

Courtesy Story

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The firemen and provost marshals of the 332d Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron and 332d Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron respectively, responded rapidly to a fire that broke out at the construction site of a new facility at Logistical Support Area Anaconda, May 8.

Firefighters and provost marshals received the emergency phone call at 3:54 p.m. and were on the scene in minutes.

Though the fire started in a generator near three 5,000 gallon tanks of fuel, the NCOIC at the scene of the incident described the overall incident to be only somewhat severe.
"When our team responded the fire was only of a medium severity level," said Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Coben, 332d ECES NCOIC at the incident scene.

"The construction workers hit the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher which was the right thing to do," said Coben.

"When we arrived the fire was easily extinguished."

"We respond to fires roughly three to four times a month," said Coben. However, a fire in a generator this size is rare, he added.

The generator has 1.5 mega watts of electricity, said Daniel Brickey, the deputy alternate project manager.

It is unclear how the fire started, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Dana Council, a 332d ESFS provost marshal at the scene of the incident.

There was definitely a fuel leak and the engine for the generator shut down, said Brickey.

Measures are in place to safeguard the fuel in such circumstances, said Bob Bergstrom, the acting alternate project manager.

"Each tank is double lined and sealed without impact to the environment," said Brickey. "There is a concrete fuel dam around the tanks to protect against leaks."
"Also, fuel tanks are set off from generators so if there was a fire it would have that additional protection," he added.

Thanks to the immediate response of the construction workers, no significant damage has been done, said Coben.

"We can assess the damage here and move on to the next mission," he said.
"The facility is in the building phase and should be completed and fully functional in December [2006]," said Brickey.

• Date Taken: 05.19.2006
• Date Posted: 05.19.2006 04:09
• Story ID: 6434