By Mondell Keck | The Brookings Register
BROOKINGS — When it comes to fire calls, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and that’s exactly what the Brookings Fire Department did when responding to what turned out to be a small fire at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on the campus of South Dakota State University on Feb. 4.
BFD Chief Troy Hughes told The Brookings Register that the incident originated in a paper air duct intake filter in the center’s fabrication shop.
“Some metal cutting was done in the area of the filter just prior to the filter catching fire,” he said. “Nothing beyond the filter was damaged, and the metal cutting operations were stopped and will be moved to another location in the shop away from the air intake duct.”
Hughes noted that SDSU maintenance crews cleaned the duct and replaced the damaged filter to bring the building back to full operation.
Fire crews arrived at 4:50 p.m. and cleared the scene by 5:33 p.m., he said, adding that four trucks and approximately 17 firefighters responded. Furthermore, it helped that one of the trucks was nearby when the fire call came in.
“(The) Ladder 2 crew was first on scene due to them being across the street displaying the flag for the SDSU basketball game at the time of the alarm,” Hughes explained.
In closing, he said the BFD teamed up with the University Police Department and center representatives to locate the issue and render the PAC safe to occupy.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
Leave a Reply