Plant Fire in Ohio

[82Rigger]

Some kind of big recycling plant. Fully involved.
Apparently magnesium is involved. Lots of big explosions.
It's raining there, and I guess burning magnesium doesn't get along with water.

Somebody tell us about magnesium fires. How do you put them out?
What's with magnesium and water?
Magnesium is a metal.
How do you get a metal to burn?

Airborne! Steve / 82Rigger

[sn-e3]

The only way I know how to put out magnesium is with talcum powder alot of it too. super hot burning and hard to put out.

[reeb]

Associated Press

Tuesday, December 30, 2003


GARFIELD HEIGHTS -- A magnesium products recycling plant was engulfed in flames Monday, sending plumes of thick, gray smoke hundreds of feet in the air and sparking more than a dozen thunderous explosions.

Few details were immediately available about the fire at Garfield Alloys, which spread to a neighboring heating company in the industrial park. A chaplain from a local fire department who would not give his name told The Associated Press that no one was injured. Television stations reported employees got out safely.

Magnesium chemically reacts with water, causing explosions, and rain was making fighting the fire difficult. In smaller magnesium fires, firefighters often use sand to extinguish flames.

Firefighters, who planned to let the fire burn itself out, sprayed water around the plant to keep the flames from spreading from beyond the industrial park in a valley. The closest homes were high on a hill and were not immediately threatened.

As darkness fell, a bright orange glow emanated from the plant, illuminating a swirling cloud of smoke. The ground vibrated every time an explosion went off.

People stood on a hillside in the nearest neighborhood about 2,000 feet from the blaze. Firefighters from Garfield Heights, and at least nine other departments sounded sirens as a series of explosions rocked the area, sending white sparks 100 feet in the air.

"Look at that, it looks like the Fourth of July," said Daryl Streety, 40.

Streety was concerned about the safety of his house and his family. He said this fire was 10 times the size of one that burned at the plant two years ago, when a 55-gallon drum of magnesium caught fire. Firefighters were able to contain that blaze with sand, and there were no major injuries.

Children stood on the hillside taking pictures of one another standing in front of the oven-hot orange flames and smoke, which was being blown away from houses.

Patrick Harrison, 33, watched the fire from his front porch, occasionally glancing at his television for updates. He said he's concerned the neighborhood would have to be evacuated.

He felt the first blast at 3:30 p.m.

"It rocked the house. It was like three explosions," Harrison said from his home, about 2,000 feet from the plant.

Crescent Heat Treat Co. next to the plant was destroyed, said 20-year employee Ed Girolamo, adding he had feared damage to his workplace since the last fire at Garfield Alloys.

"There was no way to keep it away," Girolamo said. "I'll probably have to go on unemployment."

James Meadors, 33, at neighboring Ko-Bak Automatic Screw Products, said he feared his workplace would burn next.

Even as night came, hundreds of adults and children stood out in the rain to watch the inferno.

"It's a little frightening, a little intimidating," said Mike Tycast, 44, standing in front of the Garfield Club Apartments on a hill overlooking the plant.

Neighbor Wila Brown, 46, said her windows started shaking and her belongings started moving when the explosions first began.

Both questioned why more precautions hadn't been taken to prevent another fire at the plant.

In its metal form, magnesium is often used with aluminum to make beverage cans. It also is used to make parts for automobiles and machines. Magnesium compound is used to line furnaces used to produce steel.

The Garfield Alloys plant is about 10 miles southeast of Cleveland.

Calls placed to the company, the fire department and several neighboring businesses went unanswered. Roads leading to the plant, in an industrial area, were blocked as firefighters tried to contain the blaze.

According to Hoovers Online, a Web site that tracks businesses, Garfield Alloys employs 76 to 100 people.








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[39mto39g]

Had to fight two magnisium fires in my carrier.
you can put it out with water BBBBBBBUUUUUUUTTTTTT!!!!
You had better have a very, very larg amount of water available before you start, Because Magnisium fire react vilontly with water, the chain reaction produces hydrgen , but again, if its not to big and you have a lot of water you can put it out.
Every metal burns, and each metal has its own extinguishing agent, a good all around metal fire extinguisher is Purple K, Dry powder will work also on small fires. Big fires, like the one in Ohio you keep it contained and let it burn its self out.

Hear is a easy experiment you can do at home to see metal burning, (be outside away from stuff) get a steel wool pad, put it on the ground and light it with a match, Its not going to flare up like magnisium but it will show you that metal will burn, Now take in to account that mag. burns about 50 times hotter and reacts with water.

Galvaniz plants are the worst, If you ever cut a piece of gavinized pipe with a tourch and smell the fewms you wont do that again, now picture a 400 foot cloud of that smoke.

Ron

[SEATJERKER]

...thats why they stopped using it in custom wheels on automobiles, when they burned, and or "caught fire", they continued to burn, and burned hot, until they extingushed themselves so to speak,...

...

[Andy]

Magnesium fires and how they start. I have no idea how the plant caught on fire, it will be interesting when they give us their final guess.

Did you know that both Huey helicopters and APC?s were made out of an alloy that contained magnesium? In the case of the Huey?s a .51 Cal for example might hit the fuel tank, an explosion, a hard burn and sometimes the magnesium would catch fire. If the chopper was on the ground, loading or unloading grunts or equipment the crew was temporarily listed as MIA, there sure as hell were no bodies to send home.

In the case of APCs, an RPG hits it in the side and there is a secondary explosion with all the ammo, the claymores, the LAWs, etc. With the explosions comes a fire. They didn?t always burn (thank God) but when they did there was little left and you really didn?t want to be anywhere near that vehicle. The heat was unbelievable!

Steve my experience is explosions and a pre-existing fire can get magnesium to burn. Also, our flares were magnesium, never took one apart to see how they worked but with your experience of getting the specs on military equipment, I?d think you could find out.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Keith_Hixson]

However we practiced several times with small amounts of magnesium very interesting when mixed with water. It flared up. We had a gun powder plant in our fire district. When we toured the plant they made us strip to our under clothes and put on all cotton clothing (jump suits). No static electricity sparks. Now that was scary. The plant was located in an isolated prairie at least two miles from anything. Also, the offices were a good half mile from the plant. Never had any explosions yet.

Yep, they told us that you can put out a magnesium fire with water but it takes lots of water.

Andy, when magnesium shavings get damp they will spontaniously burst into flames. Had that happen at a machine shop I was working at as a kid.

Keith

[82Rigger]

Found some neat info...


Powdered metal and metal filings are used in a LOT of military ordnance.

Powdered magnesium, mixed with other combustible materials, burns with a brilliant white light and is used in star shells, white flares, and all illumination ordnance.

Iron particles, mixed with other combustible elements, makes up the filler for THERMITE grenades used for materiel destruction.

Remember the silvery powder in firecrackers, cherry bombs, and M80s? That silvery powder was ALUMINUM powder mixed with other potassium based chemicals.