Fire Breaks Out At Magnesium Recycling Plant (Cleveland Area)

NewsNet 5 ^ | December 29, 2003 | staff

[E Rocc]

The fire much of Cleveland can see is Garfield Alloys, a magnesium plant in Garfield Heights. According to channel 19 the fire started in the office and spread to the production area. Water makes the stuff burn harder and faster, and of course it's raining. They'd be able to put out a small fire with sand, but this one they will have to contain and let burn out.

[E Rocc]

I used to work in a similar plant and we had a small mag fire once. Our production guys put it out with sand. This is much bigger and very telegenic, but I doubt it will spread too far.

-Eric

[freedom4ever]

Shortly after I joined our local Fiore Dept., there was a stolen car dumped and set on fire. I found it and when the fire truck got there, I pulled the hose and putting it out. I didn't know some parts of a car was magnesium and it was quite a surprise when it flared up upon hitting the magnesium parts. We had fun with it after we realized it what we had.

[revtown]

It's a pretty spectacular fire, I saw it on FNC.

I still remember from science class when the teacher put some magnesium in water and it started on fire.

Nasty stuff, but was fun to play with.

Sort of like playing with mercury. Pushing it around with our fingers and stuff.

But I don't have in dain bramage.

[aruanan]

Appearance And Odor: SILVER GREY SOLID METALLIC POWDER, NO ODOR.
Boiling Point: 2025F,1107C
Melting Point: 1202F,650C
Specific Gravity: 1.74
Solubility In Water: NONE
===========================================================================
Fire and Explosion Hazard Data
===========================================================================
Flash Point: NOT APPLICABLE
Extinguishing Media: SMOTHER BURNING MAGNESIUM POWDER BY GENTLY COVERING
WITH DRY GENTS ONLY SUCH AS MELTING FLUX, DRY SAND, DRY TALC, ETC.
Special Fire Fighting Proc: WEAR FIRE FIGHTING GLASSES WHEN FIGHTING FIRES. APPLY EXTINGUISHING AGENTS SLOWLY.
USE SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS OR APPROACH FROM UP WIND. NO WATER.
Unusual Fire And Expl Hazrds: MAGNESIUM POWDER BURNS VIGOROUSLY ONCE IT IS IGNITED. MAGNESIUM POWDER CAN EXPLODE
IF SUSPENDED IN AIR. DO NOT USE WATER, IT WILL ACT AS AN ACCELERANT.

[Petronski]

I thought it was Browns' coach Butch Davis' career going up in flames.

[orlop9]

But I don't have in dain bramage.

Ahem

[rintense]

Magnesium ribbon was a hit in college chem class!

[JRjr]

When I was a cub engineer working at Boeing, a pallet of mag caught on fire. When the company fire department arrived, they jumped onto fork lifts, and moved everything flammable away from the fire, and let it burn.

[FreePaul]

... GENTLY COVERING WITH DRY GENTS ONLY...

Wouldn't you expect some of those gents to object to being so used?

[The KG9 Kid]

"... I still remember from science class when the teacher put some magnesium in water and it started on fire.

I remember that day too, but it was Sodium -- not Magnesium.

[E Rocc]

It's a pretty spectacular fire, I saw it on FNC.

The people on 19 are comparing to a 2002 fire that looked about garbage can sized. In that one they showed employees shoveling sand on the fire. This one that won't be possible...they are not even comparable.

They are using water to stop the spread, which is probably making the fire itself worse.

-Eric

[FreePaul]

After the Falklands war some people became wary of alloys with any magnesium content. We had some foreign customers who specified no magnesium permitted. Got to be kind of silly as so many of the phobias are.

[SunnyUsa]

But I don't have in dain bramage.

do the taunts never end ??? ;)

[RightWhale]

They are using water to stop the spread, which is probably making the fire itself worse.

If it started in the office, it's probably not a magnesium fire yet.

[Husker24]

Why would they make car parts out of a metal that catches fire when it gets wet, its not like it never rains or anything.

[aruanan]

Ha ha. That's one of the typos in the original that I failed to see.

[California74]

Here's a link with pics. I don't know how to post pictures.

http://www.wkyc.com/galleries/galleries_fullstory.asp?id=14080

ANd link to story.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_fullstory.asp?id=14078

[freedom4ever]

I think, and this was a few years ago, it was things like the brake and gas pedals, or coverings, and stuff inside the car. The car had been customized. All I know is the fire really flared up when it was hit with water.

[Ichneumon]

I remember that day too, but it was Sodium -- not Magnesium.

Or potassium, which is even more energetic in water.

[E Rocc]

Don't forget the other part:

Safety (MSDS) data for water

General
Synonyms: aqua
Molecular formula: H2O
CAS No: 7732-18-5
EC No:

Physical data
Appearance: colourless liquid
Melting point: 0 C
Boiling point: 100 C
Vapour density:
Vapour pressure:
Specific gravity: 1.0 Flash point: n/a
Explosion limits: n/a
Autoignition temperature: n/a

Stability
Stable. Incompatible with reactive metals.

Toxicology
Non-hazardous (though heavy water, if swallowed in large amounts, can disrupt biological processes).

Risk phrases
(The meaning of any risk phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
None.

Transport information
Non-hazardous.

Personal protection
None necessary.

Safety phrases
(The meaning of any safety phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
None.

-Eric