The Effingham Fire Department responded to Quad/Graphics, off South Banker Street, just before 5:00 Saturday evening for what turned out to be a shorted backup battery. Assistant Fire Chief Matt Kulesza said that the Fire Department was alerted to the problem when a duct alarm was tripped.
Upon arrival, crews found that a server room in the facility had filled with smoke. Firefighters were able to vent the smoke and pinpoint the problem to a shorted server battery. “Something failed on it and caused it to short out and overheat,” Kulesza said. The backup batteries were set to be replaced next week.
Kulesza said that situations like this one are why the Fire Department, and companies like Quad/Graphics, have life/safety codes in place. He said that without those procedures, the incident on Saturday could have been much worse. There were no injuries.