Failed air compressor, not fire, filled McPherson industrial building with smoke Monday morning
Damage was limited to the compressor, and all emergency crews cleared the scene by about 7 a.m.
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Become a subscriberA staff member arriving at a McPherson industrial building early Monday, Sept. 14, found heavy smoke that crews traced to a failed industrial-sized air compressor, not a fire. No one was hurt. According to a release from Fire Chief Chad Mayberry, the McPherson Fire Department, McPherson Police Department and McPherson EMS were dispatched to the 900 block of N. Vanguard Street at approximately 5:30 a.m. for a report of a possible structure fire. Crews found the heavy smoke concentrated in the shop area, with light smoke throughout the office portion of the building.
McPherson Fire responded with 10 personnel, one aerial truck, one engine and three command vehicles. Crews ventilated the structure using positive-pressure ventilation — fans that push fresh air in to force smoke out of a building.
Citizen Journal has covered several other McPherson commercial and industrial calls this year, including a late-night fire sparked by an equipment malfunction at Wald Family Foods in July 2026, a fire at Midway Motors in March 2026 and a sprinkler-contained fire in the Walmart back office in August 2026.
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