Pallet fire !!

The long term storage of wood and plastic pallets are found in and around many aluminium facilities; however, the serious fire hazards they pose often are not understood. Until a fire breaks out. Improperly stored or protected pallets can present a significant fuel load and can lead to a catastrophic loss in the event of a fire. Here is a recent incident where a pallet fire spread to a building..

Firefighters were called to Aleris at 7335 Newport Road SE about 2:40 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, 2015 after a large amount of wood pallets located in a storage area at the business caught fire.

Local fire captains said the fire then spread to a nearby storage building causing damage to the building.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Firefighters from Dennison, Ohio also assisted at the scene and firemen spent about two hours extinguishing the blaze

Damages were estimated at $2,500.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog is pleased that no one was injured in this fire. Pallet fires can quickly grow and become difficult to extinguish. It is not recommended to store pallets inside nor outside next to a building.

The APSB found an informative document explaining this hazard in more detail. It can be downloaded here.

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