"The fire will likely burn for a while...."

 

One of the most common observations that we make on a plant visit is the lack of fire extinguishers. More importantly, the lack of the correct type of fire extinguishers. Here is a recent example of a fire that could have been quickly controlled if the company had the proper fire extinguishing agent.

 

The (local) Fire Department is currently on the scene of a fire at (secondary aluminum company).

 

It's on (location name

 

(Local) Fire Chief said product was unintentionally smoldering and ignited.

 

The fire will likely burn for a while.

 

At this time, crews say it is contained.

 

No injuries have been reported.

 

We are thankful no one was injured in this incident. We will reach out to our contacts at this plant, but we assume that dross ignited. We hope the plant had enough Class D extinguisher on hand. We do not recommend using sand because it can retain moisture and make a bad situation worse when used to extinguish a metal fire.

 

Simple question for the reader. Do you have enough Class D fire extinguish agent on hand to handle a metal fire? If your answer is no, the local fire department does. We would recommend you check because they don’t.

 

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