At approximately 4:28 PM on March 13, 2018, the Central Dakota Communications Center received a report of a fire at a business on the 1800 block of Commerce Drive. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched to investigate. While in-route to the scene, the fire crew was advised that fire was showing from the roof. The first arriving fire crew reported a single story commercial building with heavy smoke showing from the shop area.
The fire crew established command and went to investigate. The fire crew found that the fire inside the shop had been extinguished by the activation of two heads on the fire sprinkler system. There was fire coming from the roof top HVAC system. Fire crews accessed the roof to extinguish the remaining fire. A roof top ventilation fan and a portion of the roof had to be removed to access fire which had spread to a void between two roofing systems. An overhaul operation was conducted to remove any smoldering materials. A thermal imaging camera was use to scan for any fire spread. Firefighters assisted with covering the open area of the roof prior to leaving the scene at approximately 7:24 PM.
Four fire department apparatus and nine firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Bismarck Police Department assisted with scene control. Metro Area Ambulance was on scene to provide assistance. The sprinkler system was put back in operation by the sprinkler company. There were no injuries to building occupants or firefighters, and the business remains in operation.
The fire was caused by welding sparks which ignited the filters of a spray booth ventilation system. The fire sprinkler system contained the fire to the spray booth and prevented further fire spread within the building. The cause of this fire has been determined to be accidental.