Gilroy
– A small ceiling fire at West Coast Linen Services, off Murray
Avenue, was quickly tamed by firefighters Monday night.
No injuries were reported and the fire did not damage any
equipment or linens, according to Jimmy Mosley, chief engineer at
the firm.
Gilroy – A small ceiling fire at West Coast Linen Services, off Murray Avenue, was quickly tamed by firefighters Monday night.
No injuries were reported and the fire did not damage any equipment or linens, according to Jimmy Mosley, chief engineer at the firm. However, water used to extinguish the fire caused about $300 worth of damage to one of the cleaning machines, according to General Manager Noe De La Cruz, who added that the event did not disrupt operations.
“We started at the normal hour today at 7am,” he said. “We don’t have any lost time.”
The fire started about 6:15pm, according to production supervisor Mary Bautista, who called 9-1-1. She said the first wave of firefighters responded within a minute of the call. The size of the building and the difficulty determining the extent and location of the fire prompted the department to issue a second call for support.
Bautista said sparks created by workers welding a ceiling light ignited lint atop metal air ducts along the roof of the cavernous warehouse, roughly 50 feet above ground.
She said “little flames were everywhere” along the ducts, filling the ceiling with smoke.
Gilroy Fire Capt. Roy Shackel said fire crews quickly doused visible flames using water and foam, but “our key concern was that there was no fire inside the ducts.” Fire crews confirmed that the fire had not spread by checking for flames in exhaust tubes on the roof.
The entire process lasted about 10 minutes, according to Shackel. Fire crews packed up and left by 6:35pm.
This is the only fire West Coast Linen Services, at 8190 Murray Ave., has had in its first year of business, according to employees.
