"A hall on the site is now in danger of collapsing..."

In the simplest terms a fire occurs when an ignition source comes into contact with combustible material. There is a myriad of ignition sources in our plants. Unfortunately, one of those ignition sources are workers. Here is a recent incident highlight the importance of teaching workers that they their actions with ignition sources have consequences. The first article is from the news while the second is a press release from the local fire department.

Affected was the (recycling) company, which, according to its own statements, "has specialized both in the recycling of industrial residues from the steel industry and recycling services for aluminum and salt slag, as well as in related logistical and other industrial services". When the fire broke out in one hall and then quickly spread to two other halls, around 25 employees were still on the premises. They were able to get to safety in time. Local fire brigade chief said that he was “very relieved that there were no injuries to complain about despite the difficult operating conditions”.

FLAMES ERUPTED FROM THE ROOF

After several reports of smoke development on the roof of the recycling plant were received in the (town in Germany) regional control center at 1:09 p.m., the first emergency services moved out. "As soon as the first emergency services arrived, there was a strong development of smoke," says the mission report. From an approximately 400 square meter industrial hall, "when the first forces arrived, thick black smoke oozed and flames broke openly from the roof". The fire had spread to two directly adjacent halls and threatened several large tanks with acids and alkalis, reports the fire brigade. As a result of this determination of the situation, the alert level was immediately raised and further forces were re-alerted. As a result of the rapid spread of the fire, the alert level had to be raised twice.

A total of four fire engines from the professional fire brigade and nine volunteer fire brigades were deployed. The first massive extinguishing attacks were aimed at preventing the flames from spreading, in particular to several large storage tanks each containing 30,000 liters of chemicals, including hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.

A massive cloud of smoke could be seen in large parts of the north of (city in Germany). According to the fire brigade, however, increased concentrations of pollutants were not detected.

 

The operating conditions also posed a real challenge for the experienced fire fighters. “The situation in a five-story machine hall section, where the fire spread rapidly, was particularly precarious, reports the (local) fire brigade. A massive extinguishing attack stopped the fire on a fire wall inside the building, but due to the open construction of the production facilities, internal attacks with respiratory protection troops were no longer possible. The emergency services were therefore limited to an external attack using stationary water cannons, turntable ladders, telescopic mast platforms and the chain-driven LUF 60 fire-fighting support vehicle. It was only after three hours of intensive extinguishing work that the situation became such that the fire could be limited to the affected hall section of the machine hall.

UP TO 14,000 LITERS PER MINUTE

“Since around 14,000 liters of water per minute were released onto the fire object at a peak, an extensive extinguishing water supply had to be set up. Among other things, a special hydraulic pump system was used for this purpose, which pumped up to 8,000 liters of water per minute directly from the adjacent (local) harbor into the operational sections, ”the fire brigade continues.

A massive cloud of smoke could be seen over large parts of the north of (city in Germany). The residents of the affected areas were asked to keep doors and windows closed and to turn off ventilation systems. However, air samples taken by the “Feel and Measure” specialist group using “fire brigade resources” would not have shown any increased concentrations of pollutants. "To prevent the spread of pollutants via potentially contaminated extinguishing water, this is currently being collected on the site in cooperation with municipal drainage and, if necessary, pumped out," reports the (local) fire brigade.

EXTINGUISHING WORK CONTINUED UNTIL SATURDAY

The fire was brought under control around 11 p.m. on Friday. Around midnight, most of the emergency services were able to move away. However, isolated fire nests flickered again and again afterwards, so that the last forces of the professional fire brigade could only leave the fire site on Saturday around 1.30 p.m. In the afternoon, the fire object was checked several times as part of fire inspections for safety reasons.

"FAST AND COMMITTED WORK"

"The emergency services of the professional fire brigade and volunteer fire brigade prevented the fire from spreading to other buildings and the release of hazardous substances through a quick and dedicated effort," said fire brigade chief, very satisfied with the tactical approach of the firefighters. Fire brigade chief himself was there until late at night.

HALLS IN DANGER OF COLLAPSING

No information is yet available on the amount of damage and the cause of the fire. The hall in which the fire broke out is said to have been empty. So far, police fire investigators have not been able to start their work because the halls are considered to be in danger of collapsing. EM will report as soon as new findings are available.

 

Some of the equipment and production lines in the buildings were severely damaged. A hall on the site is now in danger of collapsing, production is at a standstill. After consulting the management, the fire investigators estimate the damage to be an eight-figure sum.

 

At this point in time, there are no indications of criminal offenses that caused or facilitated the fire. The resulting flight of sparks is an industrial accident.

 

It appears that all workers were able to safely evacuate and the fire department extinguished the blaze over days with no injuries.

 

Another

A major fire in the (company name omitted) recycling company at neighborhood in Germany city is likely to have resulted in damage worth millions. The damaging fire that broke out around 1 p.m. on Friday could only be completely extinguished after 24 hours. Including the reserves, around 350 workers from the local fire brigade and the rescue service in action. About half of these forces were kept on standby.

The local fire department press release

 

On Friday, November 5th, 2021, a fire broke out on the premises of an aluminum recycling company. The extinguishing work continued until noon on Sunday, November 7th, 2021. Nobody was injured in the fire.

 

Around 1:20 p.m., the police and fire brigade were reported to have a fire on the premises in a town in Germany. Both authorities were on site with a large contingent. Several buildings were affected by the fire.

 

Today, Monday, November 8th, 2021, fire investigators from the Central Criminal Police Service (ZKD) were able to investigate the location of the fire. According to current knowledge, there were flying sparks during welding work and the installation of a new filter system, which ultimately led to the fire. Aluminum salts stored on the site made the extinguishing work more difficult. Since the fire created thick clouds of smoke, a police helicopter was also on duty to survey the column of smoke and assess possible traffic obstructions, which however did not occur. Residents were warned by radio announcements and reports from local media and instructed to close windows and doors.

 

Some of the equipment and production lines in the buildings were severely damaged. A hall on the site is now in danger of collapsing, production is at a standstill. After consulting the management, the fire investigators estimate the damage to be an eight-figure sum.

 

At this point in time, there are no indications of criminal offenses that caused or facilitated the fire. The resulting flight of sparks is an industrial accident.

 

It appears that all workers were able to safely evacuate and the fire department extinguished the blaze over days with no injuries.

 

The ignition source in this incident was a welding spark. We do not know if the welding operation had installed a protective enclosure to contain any sparks. Regardless, we do know that at least one spark traveled and came into contact with aluminium dross or another combustible and ignited it. We wonder if the workers upon discovering the first flames incorrectly placed water on the smoldering dross. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog recommends using inert material (e.g., bone ash, dirt, sand, etc.) to smother dross fires. We have posted numerous incidents where welding in our plants have started fires. Sadly, this fire was so large that the building may need to be demolished.

 

How can this incident be useful to the reader? By ask your maintenance department on what methods do they use to prevent a welding spark from igniting a combustible source.

 

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