Cleveland : Magnesium Plant Engulfed in flames

[tyler101]

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP) - A magnesium products recycling plant was engulfed in flames Monday, sending plumes of thick, gray smoke hundreds of feet in the air and sparking several explosions.

Few details were immediately available about the fire at Garfield Alloys, including whether there were injuries. Television stations reported that employees got out safely.

Residents from the nearest neighborhood stood on a hillside about 2,000 feet from the blaze. Firefighters from at least two 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 said he's concerned about the safety of his house and his family. He said this fire is 10 times the size of one that burned at the plant two years ago.

Children stood on the hillside taking pictures of one another standing in front of the bright 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 that 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.

At almost 5 p.m. two more loud explosion sent sparks into the air, catching a neighboring business on fire.

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

The plant is about 10 miles southeast of Cleveland. 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.

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

Telephones at several nearby businesses went unanswered.

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.

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

[tyler101]

For full coverage of this fire visit: (Contains Video Clips and Images)

http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=14078

[GFDSlappyRob]

WOW!!! Ummm... I would have to say that rain probably didn't help . If you can't put water on it are they just letting it burn?

[LEWTFL]

Last report I heard was that that option was being considered.

[tyler101]

Explosions are still occuring and the fire is still burning at 8AM EST. Garfield fire dept. does have the fire under control now.

[Weruj1]

Definetly a HUGE burner ...............not much you can do with it.......

[jthomas]

the only way I've ever heard of putting out this type of fire is pouring on dry sand to smother it. That may work for a bucket of shavings in some machine shop, but that's impossible here- I think they are letting it burn out while they protect exposures.

[Weruj1]

duh ?

[Hobbitt]

At this time last night, I was standing in the rain and watching the eplosions. My neighborhood was lit up like a sunny day. My house is two miles from the plant and my windows were rattling pretty good.


Now, over 33 hours later it is still burning, but mostly under control. The department I work for sent an engine co. to Garfield's fire station to cover the city. The area is low lying and with the rain and amount of water that was put out for exposure protection some of the Rigs are burried to their axels. Lots of bunned LDH and other equipment from the fallout from the explosions.

[Hobbitt]

As a side note, my Father was a Firefighter in Garfield Hts. for 25 years (retired for 10) and was teling me there has been a long history of problems with this company.

[lmrchief2]

I get amused by articles like this-phone calls to the plant unanswered. From what I saw of the plant on the news the phones had probably all melted .

Did anyone else catch this-I had to think a minute on it-my 15 yr old son watching the news with me and they were explaining how magnesium reacts with water my son chimes in dad, if it reacts with water how come they are spraying all that water onto the fire. Gave him the covering exposure answer and TV makes it look worse and the fact that the fire that hot the water wasn't getting to it anyway.

All I can say is if this is a repeat problem the company should look into its safety program. I have not heard any updates today but pray no one gets hurt on this one.