"explosions occurred along the 150-foot trail......."

The transportation of molten aluminium over the roadway is a common activity that is conducted around the world. Throughout the world condition and quality of the roadways varies from concrete highway to dirt roads. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a recent story where the weather and condition of the road may have been a factor in this incident.

A road is not expected to open until later this afternoon, August 23, 2015 as authorities continue to work the scene of an overturned truck that spilled its cargo — approximately 35,000 pounds of molten aluminum — into a ditch on the side of the highway. Traffic near the border of St. Clair and Shelby Counties has been rerouted away from the accident site, just outside the entrance to Beaver Creek Offroad Park in Vincent, since early this morning.

Authorities reported the accident occurred between 3-4 a.m. when a tour bus towing a trailer exited the Park heading north on US 231. The driver of the tractor-trailer carrying the aluminum was traveling south when the tour bus allegedly entered his lane.

The truck driver told first responders he swerved to miss the bus, sliding the right side of the truck into the ditch. It rolled onto its side, spilling a stream of silver metal into the grass.

“He told us it was either destroy the bus or hit the ditch,” New London Volunteer Firefighter said.

New London was first to respond to the call at 3:40 a.m. with five firefighters, Fire Chief said. Firefighters immediately called for assistance from departments in Vincent and Pell City.

On scene, the Fire Chief said the aluminum coated much of the truck’s side and had caught fire in several places. Tires on the trailer burst from the heat. Firefighters also tended to a sedan that was involved in the wreck, landing in a ditch down the road.

A manager with the trucking company, confirmed the truck was on a delivery for the company and that the driver escaped the truck safely. No injuries were reported in the accident.

The aluminum was not harmful to the environment, and that it would be fully cleaned up once it cooled. Around 10 a.m., crews began using a large digger to break up the hardened metal and load it into a dump truck. A representative from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) was at the scene to oversee procedures but declined comment.

According to The Aluminum Association, molten aluminum Molten Aluminum is handled at approximately 1,300-1,450 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Contact with molten aluminum can cause severe burns and create a serious fire hazard,” aluminum.org reads. “Mixing water or other contaminants with molten aluminum can cause explosions.”

The fire chief said this was the case at the accident site, as explosions occurred along the 150-foot trail of aluminum as is traveled the ditch.

The accident coincides with one of Beaver Creek’s largest annual events — Dirty Fest. This year, the event, billed as a mud race and music festival, attracted 1,500 according to organizers.

However, authorities on scene expressed concern with the three-day event’s affect on the highway. For approximately a quarter mile on US 231 in both directions from the Park, the asphalt was caked in 1-2 inches of slick mud.

The fire chief said prior to the spill, New London was called out to the site twice on Saturday, August 22, once for a medical call and once for a disturbance. He said he noticed the buildup then and worried about the forecast.

“I told the other Fire Chief, ‘If it rains, we’re in for a real mess,’” he said. Freight Management’s Broom commented on the road’s condition as well, saying, “this mud definitely didn’t help” while describing the accident and his driver’s ability to retain control of the truck.

A crew from Division 3 of the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) arrived around 10 a.m., and the supervisor immediately dispatched his crew back to Blount County to collect equipment to clean the road. He indicated that it could take hours to return the equipment and properly clear the highway.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog is glad that no one suffered any injuries. No doubt this incident could have easily turned deadly.

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