BALES OF PAPER ignited at a box manufacturing plant on Audubon Road this morning. The bales had to dragged outside and soaked down.
WAKEFIELD —— A 2-alarm fire at WestRock Co., a box manufacturing plant at 365 Audubon Rd., drew fire crews from Wakefield and surrounding towns just after 6 a.m. today.
According to Fire Chief Michael Sullivan, the first alarm cam in at 6:06 a.m. As soon the Wakefield Fire crew arrived at 6:11 a.m., Captain John Walsh sounded a second alarm, which brought engines from Melrose, Stoneham and Reading, along with a ladder truck from North Reading. A total of about 25 firefighters battled the blaze.
Arriving firefighters were directed to the rear of the building where they found the fire well underway with about 30 one-ton bales of shredded paper burning just inside the building near the loading dock area.
Initial indications were that sparks from a malfunctioning heater dropped onto the bales, igniting them. The State Fire Marshall is investigating to determine the exact cause.
Sullivan said that the fire did not trigger the building’s automatic sprinkler system because the warehouse is so huge that the heat did not build up enough to set off the sprinklers. The fire was contained to the area where the bales of paper were stored.
At mid-morning, firefighters were still on scene soaking down the 6-foot square bales of paper which were dragged outside and broken up to make sure the fire was completely out. The Wakefield DPW provided a front end loader and an operator to assist with that process. Sullivan said that firefighters will likely be there for most of the day.
FIREFIGHTERS from Wakefield and surrounding towns battled a 2-alarm fire at a box manufacturing plant on Audubon Road early this morning.
Sullivan stressed that employees of the company spent too much time trying to extinguish the fire themselves with fire extinguishers before calling the Fire Department.
WestRock is located near the end of Audubon Road. A self-storage company next door had to be closed during the height of the fire but has since re-opened.
A Saugus Engine, a Woburn Engine and a Lynnfield tower ladder truck covered the Wakefield Fire Station during the fire.
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In other public safety news:
Police arrested a 44-year-old Wakefield man after stopping his vehicle on Preston Street yesterday just after 5 p.m. Police took the driver into custody after they determined that he had an active warrant out of Chelsea District Court.
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Just before 5 p.m. yesterday, an Arundel Avenue woman reported a case of identity theft. She said that she received an email stating that her unemployment claim had been processed. The woman told police that she had not filed an unemployment claim. The woman also reported the fraudulent use of her identity to the IRS and to credit reporting agencies. There was no monetary loss.
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At around 12:15 this morning, a man appeared at the police station and asked to speak to an officer about being followed in his car by a white sedan. Police determined that both drivers were known to each other and were having some kind of dispute.
