"300 tons of aluminum ... caught fire"

The fire of stored aluminium material is a nightmare that many companies and local communities are not prepared to deal with. Here is a recent incident highlighting the hazard of large aluminium fires.

A fire broke out at a non-ferrous metal manufacturing plant in (town omitted), and it took nearly 15 hours to extinguish the big fire. Metal fires have the characteristic that water cannot be used to extinguish them.

At 6:52 p.m. one night (during the month of January), a fire broke out at the non-ferrous metal manufacturing plant in (town name omitted), and was first extinguished at 10:16 a.m. on the 30th, 15 hours later. The fire was not completely contained until the morning of the 1st, including the state of monitoring the small fire. The fire once spread to nearby mountains, but fortunately it did not lead to a major forest fire. One firefighter suffered abrasions, but there were no major casualties.

The reason why it took so long to extinguish is because of non-ferrous metals such as aluminum stored inside the factory. These metals produce hydrogen when they react with water. Because of this, there is a risk that the ignited metal will explode if sprayed with water. The fire department estimated that 300 tons of aluminum were loaded into the factory that caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire by covering dry sand instead of water to block oxygen.

The expert explained that in special fire sites where water cannot be used, such as the fire at the non-ferrous metal manufacturing plant, there is no choice but to build a defense line with chemicals and prevent the spread as much as possible. (Name omitted) a researcher at the (national fire organization), said, "If you spray a simple fire extinguisher on such a metal, it can stop the spread, but it will not completely extinguish, so you have no choice but to respond for a long time."

It is also important to quickly identify the appropriate (extinguishing agent) for the situation. Some chemicals can burn more strongly when sprayed on metal. In 2020, the fire department had difficulty extinguishing a fire at a warehouse in (town name omitted) because of aluminum. At this time, silica hydroxide (silicate mixture) was injected and extinguished in 6 days.

However, when silica hydroxide was used in one experiment, an explosive reaction occurred. Silica hydroxide contains water and reacts with high-purity metals.

For this reason, dry sand (dry sand) and expanded vermiculite are mainly used at aluminum fire sites. These chemicals are sprayed on the surface of aluminum to form a thick layer and block oxygen. The (town name omitted) Fire Headquarters announced that it procured simple fire extinguishing equipment such as dryer and expanded vermiculite at the beginning of the fire and immediately put it into the scene. The expanded vermiculite supported at the site is 286 bags (85 liters).

The fire department plans to investigate the exact cause of the fire after the fire is fully extinguished.

We pray that the injured fire fighter recovers fully from their injuries. We are very happy that the local fire department was educated and aware that placing water on the fire would not extinguish the fire and potentially result in making the situation worse. Some aluminium and metal fires need to be smothered not with water, but sand, bone ask, etc. 

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