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 a fire sprinkler system that did its 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.