COAL TOWNSHIP - Firefighters were pressed into action Thursday afternoon when a trailer and pallets, including some that held large packages of granular and powder graphite, caught fire.
Personnel responded shortly before 3 p.m. to Shamokin Filler Co. along Venn Access Road after several 911 calls reported a pile of pallets on fire in the southern section of the property. When firefighters arrived, they found approximately 100 wooden pallets and a full-size trailer filled with scrap metal and additional empty pallets on fire. Additional units from Coal Township and two tankers from West Cameron Township were called to assist.
The graphite products are tailored to meet requirements for industrial applications in steelmaking, foundry, glass, rubber, plastics, paint, explosives and corrosion protection.
Coal Township Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Malukas said the fire did not get into the graphite and only burned the plastic containing the material and the pallets they were on. The chief added, however, that if the graphite material would have caught fire, it could have posed a hazard to firefighters battling the blaze.
"There was a concern, but not a danger," Malukas said of the material. "The guys (firefighters) did a fine job with the knockdown. It could have been worse, but it wasn't too bad."
The public was not in danger at any time and the fire was contained in about 15 minutes, he added.
A water/foam mix extinguished the fire, and a forklift driven by an employee accessed any smoldering material. Firefighters remained on the scene for approximately two hours.
Malukas said the pallets were delivered earlier in the day, and that the fire is not considered suspicious.