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Huge Speedway fire ruled accidental by fire commissioner
Spectators watch a fireball rise from Speedway International Inc. on Nicolas Avenue last week. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
Last week’s massive fire at Speedway International in St. Boniface was accidental, the fire commissioner has ruled.
"It’s believed the fire started as a result of spontaneous combustion of an oily substance in the filter press area of the facility," a provincial spokesman said today.
Huge fireballs lit up the sky over St. Boniface. Homes were evacuated, and firefighters backed off, fearful the company’s stores of racing fuel could explode.
The spokesman explained: "It should be noted that spontaneous combustion of materials can occur when a material with a low ignition temperature begins to self-heat. This self-heating occurs through the decay of the material which generates heat to the point of combustion.
"In industrial processes, the storage or disposal of oily rags in piles can allow them to self heat, or the combustion process could have been accelerated due to heat created from industrial processes like equipment operation or friction. Piles of straw, coal, and even large manure piles can spontaneously combust.
"Self-heating can even occur at home in the warmth of the inside of a pile of freshly cut grass clippings," he said.
The fire commissioner’s office will be working with a fire safety inspection subcommittee to consider whether there should be any changes for inspections of these, or similar types of industrial facilities.
The fire safety inspection sub-committee includes representatives from the Office of the Fire Commissioner, fire departments (including Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service) and the Association of Manitoba Municipalities. Municipal involvement is critical because enforcement of the fire code, and responsibility for zoning rests with each municipality, said the provincial official.
Speedway International owner Royce Rostecki said the fire commissioner’s ruling completely exonerates the company.
"The safety of our employees and neighbours has always been paramount and we have had an impeccable safety record since opening our facility in 1998," Rostecki said today.
History
Updated on Friday, October 12, 2012 at 3:59 PM CDT: updates with comment from Speedway International owner
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