At around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, fire crews responded to a fire at a Fry Communications plant in Mechanicsburg, Pa., that resulted after an explosion in a gas-fed dryer of a printing press. There were a total of three explosions.
At least two employees were working at the press when the initial explosion occurred, according to Penn Live.
“They were able to get out safely,” Chief Gary Neff of Washington Fire Co. told the news outlet.
Neff estimated that as many as 100 other employees were working in a different section of the facility, which measures roughly 300 yards long. “They did a nice job shutting down and getting everyone out,” Neff said.
The dryer is two stories high and 150 feet long by 15 feet wide, and is used to dry ink at the printing facility.
The explosions had blown doors off inside the building, and it took crews 90 minutes to get the fire under control. Firefighters dealt with zero visibility because of the smoke.
Neff speculated that the estimated damage could be $750,000, but added that it could easily reach the millions.
“No civilian injuries and no firefighter injuries—I’m going home a happy fire chief,” Neff said.
Fry Communications prints magazines and comic books, and most recently won 17 Gold Ink Awards in Printing Impressions’ Annual Gold Ink Awards Competition.
- People:
- Gary Neff
Elise Hacking Carr is senior production editor for Print & Promo Marketing magazine, and managing editor for PRINTING United Journal.