Overheated boiler causes sewer station fire

THE SOUNDER STAFF

April 25, 2008 at 10:21AM AKST

North Slope Borough Fire Department crews labored for more than four hours to extinguish a fire that burned wood and insulation in a Sewage Transfer Station in Barrow on Tuesday, April 15.

Around 1 p.m. that afternoon, members and volunteers from the fire department arrived at the station at the request of Barrow Utilities and Electric Coop personnel to inspect a possible boiler problem at the station located behind Public Works Shop II, according to the NSB Fire Department.

The crew detected that the boiler, located at street level, was surrounded by light smoke and an odor of burning wood coming from the concrete slab.

Barrow utilities personnel continued to pour buckets of water into the cracks while firefighters returned to the station for protective gear, breathing apparatus and a thermal-imaging camera.

To gain access to the bottom of the boiler, firefighters had to climb down a set of stairs to the area where holding tanks and Utilidor pipes transferring water and sewage are located.

A thick layer of foam insulation prevented the thermal-imaging camera from detecting the heat, and crews were forced to remove the separating layers.

Working in the heavy smoke took its toll on the crew working underground. With firefighters coming in and out for breaks from the toxic air, there was a need for more personnel.

Recognizing the effort would be long and difficult, the department sounded an alarm several times, calling for additional volunteers. Two members were called back from annual leave, and others were forced to return to work.

For nearly four hours, members worked over their heads from a 24-foot ladder to remove insulation and burned plywood subflooring.

The fire is believed to have resulted from a boiler running for extended periods, according to Barrow Volunteer Chief Clarence Itta.

A crack in the cement slab under the boiler allowed heat to transfer to the subflooring and floor beams below.

According to utility personnel, loss of this pump station would have impacted the sewer service for the entire community of Barrow.

Members returned equipment to service that evening and spent the days following the fire decontaminating equipment and other materials used during the incident.

In addition to this fire, the department responded to six ambulance calls and an emergency airlift service to Anchorage.

This is the first time a boiler has caused a fire in a water treatment station, according to Allen Nesteby, acting general manager and Operations superintendent for Barrow Utilities.

"Typically boilers should be able to run continuously for long periods of time," Nesteby said.

"Barrow utilities and the borough will be looking into it to make sure there is no further cause for concern and no reoccurrence," he said.