"aluminum oxide fire that couldn't be put out with water"...

Dust collection systems are in a vast majority of plants in our industry. Dust collection systems should be located outside of the plant. Here is a recent story about the dangers of dust collectors when a fire breaks out:

Firefighters and emergency personnel responded to a fire at manufacturing plant one morning during the first week in December 2015, though a company executive said no serious injuries were incurred and damage is expected to be minimal. 

The vice president of manufacturing, said the fire started in a dust collection booth at the facility.

"It was an aluminum oxide fire that couldn't be put out with water," the vice president of manufacturing said. "Plant supervisors attempted to put the fire out when it was noticed at about 8 a.m. (Friday) morning, but called the fire department when they realized they needed some help."

Local Fire and Rescue Department Lieutenant said there were no serious injuries at the scene, though the company indicated that "a couple of people" were taken to a local hospital for "precautionary reasons." The vice president of manufacturing said the plant's employees – approximately 185 – were evacuated, though the plant was expected to be up and running later that afternoon. 

"There was no water damage or anything like that," the vice president of manufacturing said. "I think we're looking at, at most, close to $10,000 of damage. The response of the fire department was great and we thank them for their great work."

During the fire, there considerable flames inside the building and it was filled with smoke, the local County Emergency Management director said at the scene.

No flames were visible from the exterior at the scene, but on the southwest side of the building, a large garage door was open some burned area were apparent. The fire was reported at 8:01 a.m. around 8:30, the local County Emergency Management director said the flames had been knocked down, he said.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog prays that the injured workers recovery fully from any physical and metal injuries. It is unknown how the workers were injured. The media article stated that there was a lot of smoke in the facility. So smoke inhalation may have been a factor. Either way several workers were taken to the hospital for "precautionary reasons."

The plant personnel found the fire and initially tried to put it out. Very quickly they realized they could not and contacted the local emergency management services. It appears that any delay in contacting the emergency management services was minimal to say the least. The APSB has posted incidents where employees delay in contact the EMS and that delay results in the fire growing larger and an increase in the risk to their lives. Your plant’s emergency management plan should address what should occur when (not if) a fire breaks out.

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