Dust Fire Snuffed Out...

This story is not unusual, but it reinforces the importance of a dealing with a hazard (aluminium dust) and preparing for emergency evacuations. Here is the story.

The Ventura County, California firefighters put out a blaze Tuesday at a large industrial building in Simi Valley by sealing the duct work and suffocating the fire, officials said.

The fire was reported about 10:10 AM at RSA Engineered Products. Aluminium dust was burning in the duct work of a building.

Employees notice smoke coming from a vent in the ceiling and called 911, said a spokesperson for the local fire department. About 70 employees had to be evacuated from the building. 

Firefighters could not apply water to the fire "because of the possibility of a violent reaction," the fire spokesperson said, and a hazardous materials team responded. 

Ultimately, both sides of a duct in the ventilation system were sealed, and the fire was out within one hour. No one was injured. The cause of the fire was not clear.

Fire personnel searched the building with a thermal imaging camera and other equipment and found elevated readings for carbon monoxide and other possible hazardous gases, but they were false readings, fire spokesperson said "These monitors require constant calibration, so it's not uncommon to get a false reading".

Firefighters who went inside the building were later hosed down as part of a decontamination process to make sure no hazardous materials entered their respiratory systems.

Planning and training for emergency evacuations is imperative. Further complicating the training process are new employees and outside contractors.  

The APSB would like to congratulate RSA Engineered Products on a successful evacuation of its employees resulting in no injuries. Good job! 

The Aluminium Association has a great document titled Guidelines for Handling Aluminum Fines. It can be found here. 

Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) information on aluminium dust can be found here. As well as OSHA's emergency evacuation information can be found here.

Finally the National Fire Protection Association's NFPA 651: Standard for the Machining and Finishing of Aluminum and Production and Handling of Aluminum Powders can be found here.

Please comment.