| A stockpile of alcohol-soaked material used for making pre-moistened wipes stored in the sprawling Orangeburg warehouse of Nice-Pak Products caught fire Wednesday morning, creating a stubborn blaze that took 150 volunteer firefighters from 13 area fire departments more than five hours to extinguish.
Three volunteer firefighters were treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene of the fire for elevated carbon monoxide levels from smoke. Two Blauvelt firefighter were taken to Nyack Hospital for evaluation, one suffering from exhaustion and the other for a knee injury. Both firefighters were treated at the hospital and released, according to Orangeburg 2nd Assistant Fire Chief Peter Byrne.
Firefighters said the fire was exhausting and difficult to tackle because of the cold, heavy smoke and confined conditions in the area of the blaze. Additionally, the firefighting effort was slow and labor-intensive because large rolls of the wet wipes material had be removed from the warehouse using forklifts to find the ones that were on fire. Some of the rolls burst into flame as they hit the cold, outside air when they were moved into the Nice-Pak parking lot.
Nice-Pak manufactures a variety of produts for beauty care, baby wipes, hand care and sanitizing, household cleaning, personal care and sanitary wipes for the food service and retail industries.
Byrne said the sprinkler system in the 1,000-foot by 1,000-foot warehouse at 125 S. Greenbush Road worked and contained the fire to a 100-foot by 100-foot pile of the rolls of wet wipes material. Byrne said the fire was difficult to fight, but because Orangeburg firefighters have a longstanding close relationship with Nice-Pak, they knew the building well and were prepared for an emergency at the warehouse.
Byrne said members of his department have been in the warehouse previously to get to know its layout, and the fire department has repeatedly conducted drills at the building, which was once the home to Worldwide Volkswagon. Byrne said the building just off Route 303 was closed at the time the fire was discovered at 11 a.m. because of the overnight storm that dumped up to a foot of snow on Rockland. He said the cause of the fire is uncertain, but it is believed to be accidental.
No false alarm
The warehouse alarm system alerted emergency officials to a possible problem at Nice-Pak. However, Byrne said Orangeburg firefighters quickly learned this incident was not a false alarm because Nice-Pak workers clearing snow from the parking lot and loading bays of the warehouse saw smoke coming from the building and immediately called police.
"It was a big help knowing on the way to the call that it was a fire and not a false alarm," Byrne said.
When Orangeburg firefighters got to the Nice-Pak warehouse, Byrne said 1st Assistant Fire Chief Neil Lynady immediately called in neighboring fire departments for assistance. Volunteers from departments throughout Orangetown and in Clarkstown – as well as one from Bergen County, NJ – rushed to the warehouse, bringing tower ladder trucks that were set up at key points surrounding the building to give firefighters quick access to the roof.
Firefighters were able to open skylights on the warehouse roof to let smoke out of the building. Byrne said Nice-Pak employees were helpful to firefighters trying to get into the warehouse and in helping cut power to the building.
Another edge firefighters had, Byrne said, was their knowledge of where to find industrial fire hydrants for the building and that firefighters knew exactly where to find the one public fire hydrant on South Greenbush Road that was the main source of firefighting water. A long line of fire hoses stretched along South Greenbush Road, and then up the long driveway leading to the Nice-Pak warehouse. The fire closed a section of South Greenbush Road to traffic, but it did not affect traffic on nearby Route 303.
Difficult conditions
Rockland County Fire Coordinator Gordon Wren said that as firefighters arrived, they had to determine where among the stock in the warehouse the fire was located. Once inside the building, Wren said the volunteers faced thick smoke, flames and did not have much room to maneuver. As firefighters got in the building, Wren said a loading bay door slammed down behind them, briefly shutting them in the building.
To clear the burning stock from the warehouse, Byrne said Nice-Pak allowed firefighters to use the company's forklifts. As firefighters moved the large rolls of wet wipes material to the parking area, other firefighters hosed down the burning material.
Firefighters were clear from the building and turned it back over to Nice-Pak officials at about 4:30 p.m. Orangetown fire inspectors and members of the Rockland County Sheriff's Department Fire Investigation Unit were at the warehouse conducting a probe of the fire.
Orangeburg firefighters were assisted by volunteers from Blauvelt, Pearl River, Sparkill, Tappan, Central Nyack, West Nyack, Congers, Valley Cottage, Nanuet and Norwood, NJ, with firefighters from Nyack called for standby duty at the Orangeburg firehouse and firefighters from Piermont on standby for Sparkill and Tappan. Volunteers from the South Orangetown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Pearl River, Nanuet and Congers-Valley Cottage ambulance corps units also assisted along with members of Rockland Paramedics.
Nice-Pak, founded in 1957, says it is a leading manufacturer of wet wipes sold for consumer and commercial use. Nice-Pak says its first product was the Original Wet-Nap that was used at Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. |
