Many of plants when they were built were
isolated from nearby communities. That was the case for decades where many
plants were located far from nearby towns and residential neighborhoods. Sadly,
overtime development has encroached on many of our plants. That development has
brought a wide range of issues that were foreign to our industry. From
complaints from neighboring development for a wide range issues including but
not limited to noise, smoke, traffic, etc. In addition this encroachment has
brought with it hazards to our plants. From grassland fires in Australia, to
earthquakes in Japan, natural hazards have be considered when developing an
emergency management plan. Here is a recent story that emphasizes that
sometimes what is outside our gates can harm our industry.
On July 13, 2016 in the afternoon a fire
in heavily overgrown brush reached within feet of a die casting facility where
liquid aluminum was stored.
City fire crews were able to knock
down and pull apart a fire that burnt a 30-foot by 30-foot area between near a
GCASA residential facility off East Main Street and Pinnacle Manufacturing in
the Harvester Industrial Park.
It was close to being much worse,
City of Batavia Fire Captain said. “We had flame shooting higher than the roof,
and when I got here it was a foot from the structure,” Batavia Fire Captain said.
“So it was really close to getting the structure going.”
The fire was noticed by Pinnacle
Manufacturing employees shortly after 2 p.m. Employees gathered outside
building said they saw “trees outside on fire.”
Some had attempted to battle the fire
with the company’s fire extinguishers — an attempt Batavia Fire Captain said would
not have stopped the fire. “It wouldn’t have done anything,” he said.
A definitive idea of what started the
fire was not immediately determined. No injuries were reported on the scene. The
plant, whose shift closes at 3:30 p.m., was shut down for the rest of the
afternoon. The co-owner of Pinnacle, said there may have been some smoke
damage. “It could have been explosive had they used water (on liquid
aluminum),” had the fire reached the interior of the building, the co-owner of
Pinnacle said. “We had the pots shut off, but there’s furnaces running 24-7.”
Batavia Fire Captain said the city’s
apparatus had foam suppressant on board, and worked diligently to aim their
attack away from the building. The facility is a known hazard target. Staging
the response was difficult due to the terrain and layout of properties. Initial
calls were uncertain whether it was a brush fire or a commercial fire, splitting
where responders rushed. By 2:15 p.m., Engine 12 was parked in a flat, brush
field behind the GCASA parking lot, with hose snaking alongside the building.
Ladder 15 waited nearby in the parking lot. The fire was considered fully out
by 3 p.m., Batavia Fire Captain said.
The co-owner of Pinnacle said there
remained a lingering concern that brush was allowed to grow so close to
manufacturing processes.
The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog
congratulates the employee(s) of Pinnacle Manufacturing who noticed the fire
and notified the local fire department. We commend the fire department for
their quick response and putting out this stubborn fire.
The co-owner is justified to be concerned
of the brush that had been allowed to grow up next to their factory. Hopefully
that brush will be cut down. The APSB has posted incidents where potential
hazards outside our gates are not acknowledged until an incident occurs.
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