Atkin Molding Co. incurred nearly $50,000 on property damage thanks to a fire in the boiler system used to heat the building, 201 W. 1045 North, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 8, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Greg Orloski, St. George News

CEDAR CITY — An estimated $50,000 worth of damage was caused during a Saturday night blaze that began in the boiler of a Cedar City molding manufacturer. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Cedar City Fire Department responded to a two-alarm fire at Atkin Molding Co., 201 W. 1045 North, around 10 p.m. after a witness who was driving past called it in.

The flames rose so high into the night sky they were seen by a firefighter on duty at the airport before dispatch even contacted crews to send them out, Cedar City Firefighter Greg Orloski said.

“There were probably multiple calls, I’m sure,” Orloski said.

The two-alarm fire drew resources from three Cedar City fire stations, he said, bringing a four-man company along with each of the three engine crews who responded.

A ladder truck, a large emergency response vehicle for support and two brush trucks for added manpower were on-site to assist, along with Cedar City Police Department and Gold Cross Ambulance.

The high-burning flames were extinguished in only 30 minutes, Orloski said, thanks to a technique employed called a blitz attack.

“So the ‘blitz attack’ is an initial attack where we take the large diameter (hose) with a large nozzle and then it’s set up directly in line with the fire,” Orloski said. “So in other words, it’s not a hand line, where people carry it; once it’s established, it sets in place and the water flows.”

Even though the fire was out quickly, he said, firefighters remained on the scene for hours, ensuring an ember didn’t continue to smolder and cause another fire.

“One thing that’s noteworthy is the quick response from the crews,” Orloski said, explaining that there has been a new structure of a four-man company per crew initiated Nov. 1 and volunteers jumped into action and were on scene in only minutes.

“The chief was on the scene in two minutes,” he said. “The first engine was on the scene within four to five minutes. The chief indicated that it was this quick response that kept the blaze from extending into the main structure.”

The company building itself remained fully intact and was undamaged from the flames, he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation as of Sunday morning.

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