Lessons from Penobscot McCrum
Given hints from the newspaper articles about this fire and general knowledge of the “Potato Factory”, I predict this will be a long fire. Here’s why: The fire started in a ventilation duct. One can imagine from the strong aroma pot frying potatoes strips that we all enjoy as we cross the bridge that the vapors being ventilated in the factory were ladened with frying oil which probably condensed on the inner walls of ducts throughout the plant. That’s a way the fire could have spread all across the facility so quickly …. through the greasy ducting. We are told by TV that the plant had enormous freezers full of their inventory. Probably a warehouse-sized space with dozens of room-sized industrial frozen food chambers. Inside each are ceiling-high stacks of potato products all frozen solid as a rock. As the small initial fire progresses, electrical power is knocked out. The freezer’s compressors stop working. Perhaps the shells of these storage rooms are set afire. Suddenly, the fire encounters unknown tonnage of solidly frozen greasy potatoes. It would be impossible to ignite these potato icebergs, but easy to see that they will start to melt …. releasing a steady flow of oil and potato starch and whatever packaging materials are involved. This as a rather reliable and steady source of new flammable material. That fire could be long and difficult to put out. But maybe, the roof gone, and the potato-bergs exposed to Belfast’s cold weather, they melt too slowly to feed the fire. It is sort of hard to imagine what the wreckage of this fire will look like. For me, an interesting mind puzzle to work on for a while.
(Editor’s Note: Dennis the painter who painted our house 2 summers ago lives in a small, old house with his elderly mother right above the plant. It’s circled in the image above. He allowed as how she had the best piece of property in all of Belfast —sweeping views. Of course while there certainly is some pretty stiff competition for “best view”, the reality of living behind that factory would definitely be something that effected them. Hoping they are all OK.)
