Shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a commercial fire in a paint room at 30160 S.W. Orepac Ave. in Wilsonville. Initial reports indicated that the paint room contained a gas line, paint products, air guns, and pressure tanks -- all potential concerns for occupant and firefighter safety.

Firefighters arrived on scene to find light smoke coming from the industrial building. Fortunately, this business has commercial fire sprinklers that did their intended job of limiting fire damage and potential loss of life. The fire was out when firefighters entered the paint room.

A TVF&R fire investigator responded to the scene and determined that the area of origin was a plastic waste can inside of a paint booth. The cause of the fire was accidental; resulting from the spontaneous combustion of rags used for staining that had been improperly disposed. The fire was controlled by a single sprinkler head served by the wet-pipe system, as well as employees using portable fire extinguishers. Damage was so minimal that repairs are not needed.

When a fire sprinkler system is present in a structure -- residential or commercial -- the likelihood of injuries and costly damage is dramatically reduced. More information about fire sprinkler systems can be found at: http://www.tvfr.com/index.aspx?nid=144