Firefighters find flaming pallets in oven at Modesto business

A pallet fire that sent waves of smoke into the noontime air in south Modesto on Tuesday was quickly contained thanks to fast work by firefighters and a key assist by the business.

At 12:28 p.m., the Westport Fire Department was called to United Pallet Services Inc., at 4043 Crows Landing Road, on a report that a pallet oven was on fire.

There also was a report that flames might have extended into a building prompting a call to the Ceres Fire Department, which later was joined by Modesto and Keyes firefighters.

When they arrived, they found pallets inside the oven burning, according to Ceres Battalion Chief Richard Scola. He said nearby debris on the outside of the oven also caught fire and was threatening three propane tanks.

Ovens are used to heat the pallets, which helps decontaminate them before shipping. The oven was about 45 feet long by 10 feet wide and had about 240 pallets inside, Scola said.

Scola said two water tenders were used to extinguish the flames.

He credited the company for the wide space between the stacks of pallets, which gave fire trucks easy access to the oven.

“Luckily, they maintained their access avenues for us,” he said. “The lanes were wide enough.”

The fire was under control in about 45 minutes, and crews were on scene cleaning up until 2:44 p.m., In all, five engines, 16 firefighters and a fire investigator reported to the business at the corner of Crows Landing and West Service Road.

Scola said no cause of fire had been immediately determined.

He said the damage – the loss of the oven and pallets – was estimated at $45,000. Nobody on site suffered injuries.

This story was originally published March 14, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Firefighters find flaming pallets in oven at Modesto business."