Firefighter injured after fire at Renewable Energy Center

Staff Report

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

 

A Charleston firefighter sustained non-severe steam related burns through his protective gear after a fire at the Renewable Energy Center on Tuesday, according to a press release from the University.

The Charleston Fire Department was called to the site at 5:25 p.m. after one of the building’s four boilers was affected by a problem inside a heat recovery unit.

The fire spread inside the three-story unit, prompting a call for additional personnel from Charleston, along with the Lincoln Fire Protection District.

In an interview with WEIU-TV’s News Watch, Pat Goodwin said the difficulty wasn’t the amount of fire, it was getting to the fire because the heat recovery unit was a three-story vessel.

Units remained on the scene until 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Eastern personnel will begin an investigation Monday, Dec. 21 after the 18-inch-thick fire brick lining the boiler completely cools.

A damage estimate is pending.

The Renewable Energy Center will continue to produce steam for normal university operations, including Fall Commencement on Saturday.