Employee credited with extinguishing midnight fire at Tilton manufacturer

TILTON — A crisis was averted at a manufacturing facility, when an employee reportedly put out a small fire in the electrical lighting circuit just after midnight on Thursday.

According to Tilton-Northfield Fire & EMS Chief Sean Valovanie, at 12:18 a.m. on Dec. 18, the department was called for a report of an electrical fire at Spinnaker Contract Manufacturing, 95 Business Park Drive. Crews from Tilton-Northfield and Franklin Fire departments arrived to find no visible smoke or fire from the exterior, and their investigation found a small fire that had been extinguished by an employee.

Two second shift employees, who were the last remaining people in the building, were about to leave for the night when they saw smoke coming from an electrical panel. Valovanie said one of the employees used a fire extinguisher to put the fire out, and called 911.

Capt. Matthew Gilman said in a prepared statement by Tilton-Northfield Fire & EMS it was fortunate the fire was discovered before they left for the night.

“Had the circuit continued to burn, this could have resulted in a much larger fire,” Gilman said.

Valovanie applauded the quick action taken by the employees, saying the fire had serious potential to be a hazard in the industrial building that has an open manufacturing floor and office space.

Spinnaker Contract Manufacturing is a 38,400-square-foot, single-story building constructed in 1996. It has been a family-owned business in Tilton since 1976, offering services that include turnkey manufacturing, printed circuit board assembly, custom wiring harness assemblies, mechanical assembly, and other test solutions, according to the company website.

Guy Nickerson, president of Spinnaker, was unavailable for a comment.

Valovanie spoke to a representative of Spinnaker Contract Manufacturing on Thursday morning, and said it did not sound like there was significant damage.

“I talked to the owner and Daniels Electric was there and did some repairs, but it was up and running first thing this morning,” Valovanie said.

Valovanie said when his crew arrived there was no fire, but fire personnel de-energized a couple of the electrical panels as a precaution.

“Then we were able to clean up and go right home,” he said.

Valovanie said the crucial piece of using a fire extinguisher is simply knowing how to use it, as well as understanding where the capabilities lie.

Electrical fires can be extremely dangerous, and Valovanie reminded the public they must be handled with care. It is recommended to shut off power to the source if safe to do so, and never use water, because it conducts electricity and can make matters worse.

A Class C fire extinguisher, or a multipurpose ABC fire extinguisher, is recommended, as they do not use water and instead use non-conductive agents. If the fire cannot be controlled, it is imperative to evacuate and call 911 immediately.

“If you think a fire is too big, it probably is,” Valovanie said. “If you are able to put a fire out, we encourage it, but it is important to make sure someone else knows about the fire before you attempt to fight it.”