Staff reports
At 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 17, a crew from the Burton Fire District headed north to Winnsboro, S.C.., to assist in combating the massive industrial fire at the 650,000-square-foot MLily mattress manufacturing plant.
As part of the South Carolina Firefighter Mobilization, the Burton Fire District answered the call Monday morning when a request for assistance was sent to the state’s fire departments for equipment and personnel to help battle the blaze. The Burton Fire District sent one engine and three firefighters to assist. The crew arrived on the scene at 10:45 p.m., Monday.
The initial response to the pant occurred just before 10 a.m., Sunday when Columbia firefighters and hazmat teams responded to a fire alarm and a report of a chemical smell at the facility. Firefighters located a fire in a conveyor belt involving a foam product. Fire crews were able to contain and extinguish the fire by 6 p.m.; however, the fire reignited at 11:30 p.m., Sunday. Fire officials believed they had the fire again controlled by 8 a.m., Monday only for it to reignite.
The difficulty extinguishing the fire is due to the complex layout of the building limiting access along with the chemical makeup of the foam used in the mattresses which is flammable and water resistant. Burton fire crews were initially dispatched to assist in a 12-hour shift; however, they will remain until released.
Emergency services for Burton citizens will not be impacted according to Burton Fire District Chief Harry Rountree who stated reserve fire apparatus and extra crews will fill in until the deployment is complete.