Firefighters disconnected power to the furnace...

Furnaces in our industry come in all shapes and sizes. Occasionally the Aluminium Plant Safety Blog posts incidents regarding furnace fires. Here is a recent story:

Firefighters are investigating the cause of a blaze that broke out at Madison-Kipp Corp.'s Sun Prairie facility on Friday, October 23, 2016 in the United States.

Just before 5:40 p.m., firefighters from a local Sun Prairie Volunteer Fire Department were called to the company's building.

Crews arrived to reports from staff of flames coming from the top of an interior furnace and smoke was visible from the building's exterior. The building's sprinkler system had also been activated.

Firefighters entered the building and disconnected power to the furnace, shut down the sprinkler system and opened portions of the roof above the furnace.

Initial damage estimates and the fire's cause were still undetermined Friday evening.

We congratulate this aluminium company for successfully implanting their emergency management plan. The plant’s fire alarm was activated, responding fire department arrived on scene and quickly access situation. After disconnecting the power to the furnace, they smartly shut down the sprinkler system. We feel that the local emergency management services and this company have a past relationship that has allowed the fire department to be knowledgeable of the hazards and their location in the plant. It is imperative that your plant have a dialogue with the local fire department regarding your plant’s hazards, their locations, and how to deal with them if an emergency occurs.

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