Bismarck, N.D. – The Bismarck Fire Department responded to a fire at the Butler Machinery facility in northwest Bismarck on Wednesday afternoon, October 7, after a mechanical failure caused combustible liquid to ignite on a hot engine exhaust.
Fire crews were dispatched at approximately 1:21 p.m. and arrived to find the building’s occupants evacuated, with dark smoke coming from multiple open overhead garage doors.
Firefighters entered the building to investigate and discovered that a fire involving vehicle-mounted equipment had already been extinguished by the facility’s automatic fire sprinkler system.
After confirming the fire was out, crews shut down the sprinkler system’s water flow and secured the gas and electrical utilities in the affected area. Firefighters also conducted an overhaul operation to check for fire spread and extinguish any remaining smoldering materials.
No injuries were reported among building occupants or firefighters.
The fire sprinkler system helped limit the damage to an area of approximately one vehicle service bay, according to the fire department.
An investigation determined that a component failure allowed combustible liquid to escape onto a hot engine exhaust, igniting the fire. Officials classified the incident as accidental.
The department did not report any further injuries or damage beyond the affected service bay.
