Fire at SBN AWS Building 104 in New Carlisle injures two workers

What happened

Two workers were taken to hospital after a reported fire at the construction site of a new Amazon data centre in New Carlisle, Indiana. The incident was on a Thursday morning at the site on Edison Road. Firefighters were called after reports of injuries in a construction accident, and crews were then told that SBN AWS Building 104 was filled with smoke. A New Carlisle Fire Department spokesperson told WNDU that firefighters found a significant amount of smoke in the building and the surrounding area.

The area had been evacuated. Two workers were airlifted to hospital. Fire crews found no active fire and were investigating the cause. An AWS spokesperson said a small fire at the construction site of a non-operational facility was quickly contained.

Contributing factors

The cause has not been reported. Fire crews found no active fire and said they were investigating. The company account describes a small fire that was contained; how that relates to the smoke found by crews is not stated.

Lessons learned

1. Treat smoke in a building on a data centre construction site as a possible fire until the fire service confirms otherwise.
2. Large construction campuses need evacuation and medical plans that can move injured workers off site quickly, including by air.
3. Public statements should stay consistent with the fire service account while the cause is still under investigation.

Source

datacenterdynamics.com