9 fire departments responded....

Almost every type of plant in our industry has one or more dust collectors on its premises. Here is a recent incident involving a dust collector that thankfully resulted in zero injuries.

A fire was quickly extinguished one afternoon in mid-January 2019.The dispatch call to a manufacturer of specialty metals for seamless and welded pipe fittings and forgings, came at 4:15 p.m.

According to those at the scene, when local police arrived at the business smoke was reported visible from the roof of the grinding shop.

Local Fire Department Chief said the fire started in a dust collector in the shop and noted that damage to the property was limited to the machine. No injuries were reported.

The fire was under control within 20 minutes and overhaul operations were completed within 40 minutes.

According to local fire department chief, because of the size of the facility, the box alarm called for apparatus from various departments.

Responding to the fire call were the local Bridge Police Department, and nine fire departments and EMS coordinators from three companies.

We are glad no one was injured in this incident. It appears that the dust collector was inside the “grinding shop” when the fire began. We recommend if possible that all dust collectors be located outside of a facility. Why? Because a dust collector has the potential to explode. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted numerous incidents where in fact a dust collector did explode. Then why would you want such a device inside your facility?

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