Plant fire damages estimated at $1.6M Published July 22, 2011 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- A July 13 fire at Bldg. 352, an industrial waste dewatering facility, caused major damage to equipment and the facility. Preliminary estimates put the total damage at $1.6 million with $1.25 million of that attributed to a severely-burned sludge press. The building damage estimate was set at $500,000, plus another $50,000 for cleanup. According to Forrest Johnson, base fire chief, the cause of the fire is undeterminable due to the severe damage. Three sludge presses in the plant are used to remove solids from waste water coming from the plating shop and paint/depaint operations. The presses form the solids into cakes for economical disposal. A Robins firefighter was taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion, but has returned to duty. The Warner Robins Fire Department, through a mutual aid agreement, and off-duty base firefighters assisted in the response.