WINONA, Minn. — The fire that damaged the Core thermoplastic factory Monday started in a piece of manufacturing equipment and spread quickly through ducts to the roof, according to Fire Chief Joel Corcoran. This is the sequence as reported in fire call logs:
> At 12:59 a.m. a water-flow alarm went off at the factory at 1700 Wilkie Drive in the Bundy Boulevard industrial park. Two fire units were dispatched.
> En route, the crews received a 911 update that flames were visible on the roof. All off-duty firefighters were summoned.
> The first unit arrived and established a water supply from a nearby hydrant.
> When the second crew arrived, its aerial apparatus was raised to stream water to the roof.
> A night watchman told firefighters that the fire originated in a piece of manufacturing equipment. An interior sprinkler system extinguished the equipment, but the fire already had climbed into the underside of the roof.
Inside damage assessment. Firefighter looks for hot spots in haze inside thermoplastics factory. Image: Winona Fire Department
> The second fire crew unrolled a 1.75-inch handline to spray inside the building.
> The aerial crew began streaming water from its 100 -foot articulated arm. The interior crew was ordered to evacuate.
> After two minutes the aerial crew shut off its stream . Crews climbed their aerial arm over the roof to assess the situation.
> A 1.75-inch handline was hoisted to the roof to cool vent piping and hot spots.
> After ensuring all hot spots were extinguished and the area adequately cooled, crews began to break down and clean up the scene.
> Crews remained on-site for two additional hours to monitor for potential rekindle.