by Bea Peterson
Hoosick Falls Fire Chief Robert Bornt said four departments responded to a fire call at Saint-Gobain on McCaffrey St. in Hoosick Falls at 4:30 am Friday, December 17. Two calls were received, said Bornt, one from the plant and another from a cell phone stating there was a fire on the roof of the building. Bornt said the fire was contained to the duct work above a coating line that manufactures adhesive tape. The duct work affected was on the second floor and up. There was some damage to the roof. Between the plant’s external system and the dry chemical extinguisher used by the fire department, no water was required to quell the blaze. Water was available, however, if it was needed.
The building was evacuated before firefighters arrived. Bornt said extinguishing the fire went well. “The Saint-Gobain people worked well with us. Within a half hour they were back in production.” He believed the affected coating line would require a great deal of maintenance. Later Friday morning it was business as usual except for the one line.
Bornt said fire companies from Hoosick Falls, North Hoosick, West Hoosick and Hoosick responded to the alarm, along with the Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad. The White Creek Fire Department stood by at the Hoosick Falls station and Buskirk was on standby in their quarters.
