Furniture Factory Fire Threatens Massive Industrial Complex in Poland

A burning garden furniture factory at the heart of a 90,000 square meter industrial complex in Malanów, Poland, took nearly 17 hours to extinguish Wednesday, according to the State Fire Service website.

Firefighters from nearby Turku received the initial call about the factory fire. Later, volunteer fire department across Poland’s Turkish district responded bringing heavy rescue and fire fighting vehicles. Ultimately, 54 firefighting agencies contributed nearly 200 responders to battle the emergency.

Plastic foam and mattress springs were the principal products manufactured in the burning production hall. In total, 750 employees were evacuated from the entire complex although only 12 were working in the hall that caught fire.

“The area of the action was divided into combat sections, and the firefighting activities consisted of feeding large amounts of water and heavy foam into the (production) hall, as well as feeding water from a height using hydraulic lifts,” the fire website states.

Due to smoke and temperature issues, firefighters worked wearing self-contained breathing apparatus.

“The complexity of the rescue and firefighting operations required frequent replacement of rescuers,” the website states.

No injuries were reported during the emergency.