Date: April 21, 2022
Location: Menden, North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany)
Address: Unknown
Type: Dust Explosion
Fuel: Lignite Dust
Industry: Lime Production
Equipment: Silo
Company: Unknown
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: Five Injured
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
The company was not identified in any press coverage of the incident.
Incident Description:
On April 21, 2022, Fireworld.at reported a fire at a lime production plant in Menden, Germany.
Fire crews from Menden were dispatched to a deflagration at 8.30 a.m. There were two seriously injured and three with less serious injuries. An emergency doctor, after examining the first two patients, had two rescue helicopters alerted to transport them to a hospital in Bochum.
Additional emergency crews with breathing apparatus were called to assist. A silo containing powdered lignite was cooled down. However, since combustible material kept falling down from above and no one could say exactly how much was still in the silo above, another solution had to be found.
The operations management decided to use foam over the upper hatches of the silo. This approach finally brought the desired success, so that the fire could be extinguished and the site handed over to the operator shortly before noon.
The cause of the deflagration is under investigation.
Sources:
Fireworld.at
Radio MK
