Date: June 27, 2019
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana (USA)
Address: 2511 Taylor Street, 46802
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Metal Dust
Industry: Scrap Metal (Recycling)
Equipment: Conveyor Belt
Company: OmniSource
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, OmniSource is one of North America’s largest processors of recycled metals. It has over 50 scrap collection and processing facilities in the U.S., including 11 operating shredders, providing it with the capacity to process seven million tons of ferrous scrap annually, and more than a billion pounds of nonferrous metals.
Incident Description:
On June 27, 2019, Wane.com reported a fire at a scrap metal plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. An employee saw smoke coming from the ceiling and called for assistance.
When the Fort Wayne Fire Department responded at around 12:06 a.m., they found a significant amount of smoke and dust in the building. Upon investigating the source of the smoke, firefighters uncovered a layer of dust smouldering on pipes and ducts near an upper conveyor belt.
A fire battalion chief later said that no open flame was involved, but the smouldering dust spread for hundreds of feet, filling the building with smoke.
Firefighters sprayed the dust off of the pipes, but much of the smoke remained. They then used industrial fans to blow the smoke and dust out of the open garage doors. The building’s size made it difficult to control the spread of hot dust and ash, but the situation was finally under control after two hours.
The plant shut down temporarily while crews cleared smoke out of the building and cleaned up.
The building did not sustain structural damage. No injuries were reported. The cause of the initial fire is under investigation.
Previous Incidents:
On October 26, 2018, Wane.com reported that a pile of titanium shavings caught fire at OmniSource. Officials said it started when a bin carrying metal shavings was rolled in the truck hauling it. Firefighters could not use water because the shavings were titanium, so they had to use dry sand.
The fire did start to spread to the inside of the building and was quickly put out. The people in the building were evacuated. No one was injured.
Sources:
Wane.com (June 27, 2019)
Wane.com (October 26, 2018)
