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  • Norman firefighters spray down rubber filters at the waste water treatment plant Wednesday afternoon after sparks from a torch caught the area on fire. No one was injured in the blaze. Kyle Phillips/The Transcript

    Waste Water Fire

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December 6, 2012

Fire burns old filters at Norman’s wastewater treatment plant

By Jessica Bruha The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Norman firefighters responded to a blaze Wednesday afternoon at the city’s wastewater treatment plant at 3500 S. Jenkins Ave.

Norman Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said the fire was caused by sparks from cutting angle iron with a torch. The sparks ignited used filters at the plant that were in the process of being moved. The contractor who was working on the filters called 911 as soon as he saw the fire start, Bailey said.

“It’s pretty spectacular when you saw the black smoke coming off of it, but the reality of it was it wasn’t much of a fire,” he said.

The only damage the fire caused was to the old filters and some grass near the area. The filters, which were built in the ’80s, were being moved to allow new technology at the plant, he said.

There were no injuries and no structures damaged.

Three stations with about 15 personnel responded to the scene within five minutes. The fire was put out in about 30 minutes. The fire did not cause any threat to the University of Oklahoma campus.

 

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