A fire extinguishing system at the Dallas Morning News facility in Plano went off unexpectedly Thursday evening, leading to the evacuation of dozens of employees.
Around 6:30 p.m., emergency crews were notified of a structure fire at the Dallas Morning News printing plant, located in the 3900 block of West Plano Parkway in Plano, about 22 miles north of downtown Dallas, said Daniel Daly, a spokesman for Plano Fire-Rescue.
Plano emergency crews learned that there was no structure fire, but that there was a “carbon dioxide dump,” as part of the building’s fire suppression system.
“Once crews got on scene and they realized there were no fires and that the extinguishing system had discharged, it became more of a medical call because it is an air quality and breathing issue,” Daly said.
Daly said the carbon dioxide dump leads to poor air quality inside the building, which in severe cases can cause serious respiratory issues.
One person was injured during the evacuation and taken to the hospital, Daly said. Plano Fire-Rescue is investigating the incident.
Katy Murray, president of DallasNews Corporation, said that the employee is expected to recover. Murray said that a problem with the printing press may have led to the carbon dioxide dump.
“All of our employees have been accounted for and everyone is fine,” Murray said. “Everyone is OK; that’s the most important thing,”
About 180 employees work at the 130,371-square-foot printing press facility, Murray said. Less than half of those employees were at the location when the fire extinguishing system went off.
