Smoke ascended from the University of Idaho Steam Plant facility around 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, after a small fire ignited within the confines of the building. Shortly after 2 p.m., the fire situation concluded.
According to Eugene Gussenhoven, director of UI Utilities and Engineering Services, the fire was a result of a bearing that failed and caught fire to the conveyor belt and motor on top of the silo, which is used to store wood chips.
Gussenhoven said the steam plant operators took action promptly, and prevented a more serious fire from occurring.
“Had they not been as vigilant as they were, we probably would have had a bigger problem,” Gussenhoven said. “But, because they were paying attention to what was going on, they were able to extinguish the fire fairly easily.”
Gussenhoven said the total damage is estimated between $5,000 and $10,000, and repairs will start immediately and should be completed within three weeks.
The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department and Moscow Police Department responded to a call around 11:30 a.m., where firefighters aided facility staff in securing the fire area, while police blocked off nearby streets as a safety precaution.
Gussenhoven said the proficient response to the fire was a collaborative effort between fire and police officials, UI security and UI emergency management.
“We all worked together cohesively to alleviate the situation as soon as possible,” Gussenhoven said. “Everyone did a great job and did their part.”
UI Executive Director of Public Safety and Security Matt Dorschel said the two Vandal Alerts sent out Tuesday — one notifying people of the fire and the other notifying people of the conclusion of the fire — were good examples of the university communicating with the campus community about emergencies.
“The system worked exactly as it was supposed to,” Dorschel said. “People knew what was happening, where to avoid and they knew it in a timely matter. That was the whole goal of Vandal Alert in the first place.”
Gussenhoven said the UI Steam Plant is operating at a “semi-normal” pace since the fire, and that the plant is just thankful that no one was injured during the incident.
Amber Emery can be reached at [email protected]