[Press Release] : Fire at MU Power Plant noticed before serious damage occurred

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Battalion Chief Gary L. Warren, Jr.  - (573) 499-7035

Fire at MU Power Plant noticed before serious damage occurred

COLUMBIA, MO (June 11, 2008) - Thanks to the quick actions of operators
at the MU Power Plant and the timely response of the Columbia Fire
Department, a fire was noticed and extinguished before it could cause
serious damage. Around 5:47 p.m. an operator noticed the smell of smoke
and dialed 9-1-1 as another checked for fire. Shortly after, a small
fire was discovered in a computer server room in the southeast corner of
the plant. 

The server room, as referred to by plant operators, monitors the amount
of power (electricity) needed throughout MU campus facilities. Equipment
in that room, valued at over $100,000, is essentially responsible for
keeping power to the MU campus.

Fire crews from Snozzle 1, Quint 3, Engine 2, Ladder 1 and Rescue Squad
3 (as well as several chief officers) responded to the scene, but had
limited access due to construction on Stewart Road from the southwest
corner of the plant to Sixth Street. Firefighters had the fire under
control and were conducting overhaul (removing burning debris and
protecting valuable equipment) within 20 minutes of arrival.

After interviewing plant operators and campus facility representatives,
fire investigators concluded the cause of the fire was a result of hot
work (welding) being done earlier in the day in that room. The hot work
was being done to add a pipe valve in that location as a part of the
steam tunnel upgrade project on the MU campus. The work on the pipe
eventually got it hot enough to catch the insulation on fire in the void
space between the interior and exterior walls in the southwest corner of
the power plant. The general contractor for the work was Sircal with
subcontractor work being provided by Environmental Engineering (both out
of Jefferson City).

The initial damage estimate to the structure and contents is listed at
$5,000. There were no injuries during this incident. There was no
interruption of power to any MU facilities during the fire. This
facility had no detection or suppression systems in the room of origin.

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