Mortimer Pallet Co. Fire

***This is a description of a fire from history, back in 2005.

It was a usual November evening. Folks everywhere were looking forward to the turkey feast that was coming up in about a week.

 

I was sitting in the front room winding down from the days events when I heard tones come across the open channel of my pager. I waited; one set, two sets, three sets (if it goes to 4 sets then I'll get really interested), four sets of tones.

 

Listening closely now I hear the dispatcher add the voice information to the call. "Fire in Smithfield" or something like that. I waited again until the first units came up on the air and gave a report of conditions on arrival.

 

What I heard was a request for a 2nd alarm and that made the decision for me, I will go and take some pictures of this. I grabbed my shoes and coat and left town, making sure my turn out bag was in the trunk.

 

Topping the little hill that obscures Newton from part of the valley, I was surprised to see an inverted cone shape of fire glaringly visible from the East in Smithfield. Yes, it is a big fire I said to myself.

 

I had only traveled about 1 more mile before a request for the 3rd alarm was transmitted, and shortly after that my pager sounded the familiar alert, my departments engine was due on the 3rd alarm for this incident.

 

I decided to continue in and meet the engine crew once they were on scene. We were directed to the West of the fire to assist crews extinguishing fire in a building and to protect the structures next to that building.

 

The rest of the narrative will best be served by a few pictures. I did not take the pictures, they were taken by another individual. I did photo shop them a little bit because they were dark, it being night-time and all.

(Above, below) The main part of the fire was in stacks of pallets in the open air at the rear of the building.

There were significant flame lengths from the well ventilated fuels involved.

For reference, the total 4 alarms at this incident brought 2 truck companies, 11 engines and command staff to manage the resources on hand.

These photos were taken from Smithfield's Main street, about 400 South by an observer who then passed them on to a North Logan firefighter who in turn sent them to me.

Truck 70 works the flames in the pallets.

Truck 120 works the flames in the pallets.

North Logan firefighters stand by at un-involved structures with hoses drawn in case the flames and heat start to threaten these exposures.

Other than the Cache Valley Dairy #2 fire in the early 90's, this is probably the biggest non-wildland fire that I have had a hand in fighting. It's a terrible event when a fire like this breaks and puts property in threat of damage and loss. Thankfully no one was injured.