Kalama Commercial Fire Update—KLOG 100.7 News

(Kalama, WA) – We have gotten further details on that commercial fire that led to a life flight early Thursday morning in Kalama. 

Fire Chief Victor Leatzow says that fire personnel with Cowlitz Fire District 5 were called for a fire that broke out at the Owens-Illinois Glass Manufacture; however, fire personnel were called off before arriving and EMS was requested. An individual reportedly took glass to the face and had burns. Life Flight was called to Haydu park, and the victim was taken to the Legacy Emanuel Medical Burn Center. 

Chief Leatzow said that the fire and broken glass were caused while maintenance was being done on a glass smelting machine. That machine uses a water dome to stop the flow of molten glass and for some reason it malfunctioned, causing the incident.