KELOWNA — Investigators are looking at whether there’s a link between insulation and a fire that did substantial damage to a Kelowna plant.
Fire broke out at Westwood Fine Cabinetry on Leckie Place shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday.
Kelowna fire crews say the blaze started in the attic of the large plant but the flames were already out when they arrived because of the sprinkler system.
But the water ran for an hour, soaking everything below.
The building is equipped with 400 sprinklers, but only 25 went off.
Officials say if all 400 sprinklers went off, the damage would have been considerably worse.
“We could have had a major catastrophe,” says company spokesman Chris Terry.
Prior to the fire, a crew had been pumping new insulation into the attic — a possible source of the fire, says Terry.
“Was there a spark from the compressor — the blower that went up the pipe and into room space?” says Terry. “Was there dragging of a hose through there and hit a wire connection — pulled it apart and there was a spark?”
The plant workers are leaving that up to the experts to determine.
And the workers don’t have to worry about the future of their jobs. It turns out they may pick up some overtime due to the incident.
“At the moment, there are no plans to lay anybody off. We will use them for clean up. They may end up working all weekend,” says Terry.
The plant employs 120 people.
Terrry says the plant should be up and running at full capacity by Monday.
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