Fire companies were called to Hart Metals Inc. in Tamaqua just after 10 PM Wednesday (April 30, 2014) for a report of a commercial fire involving magnesium.
Emergency personnel arrived in drizzling rain to see a large amount of smoke emanating from a building inside the complex, 1415 East Broad Street. They also noted a strong chemical-like odor.
“Firefighters responded immediately and assisted Hart Metals employees with controlling the fire,” said Mike Angelo, Assistant Chief, Tamaqua Fire Department, who added that the fire was primarily limited to a machine inside the building.
Schuylkill County Communications told TamaquaArea.com that Schuylkill Emergency Management Agency (SCEMA) had stated the cause of the smoke and flames to be magnesium residue on plastic bags that had caught fire. They added that the Tamaqua fire department possesses an air monitoring system and noted no risk to the public.
Firefighters, most donning air filtration or oxygen masks, on scene said the smoke and chemical-odor lasted about an hour.
Angelo added that a unidentified Tamaqua firefighter was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital – Miners Campus for observation. Another firefighter said the unidentified firefighter had gotten an irritated throat from special powder (called metalex) used to extinguish the fire, as water can not be used to extinguish a magnesium fire.
Most emergency responders were released within an hour of the call, with the last responders leaving shortly after midnight.
Tamaqua and Coaldale Fire Police closed US209 for an hour between BET Plaza (Jamesway Plaza) and Coaldale as a precautionary step and to avoid possible spectators interfering at the scene.
Wal-Mart in Hometown donated quality air-filtration masks to members of the Tamaqua Volunteers community initiative group, who presented the masks to fire police volunteers directing traffic near the scene.
Responding were Tamaqua Fire Department, Tamaqua Rescue, SCEMA, Coaldale Fire Department, Lansford Fire Company, Summit Hill Fire Company, Tamaqua Ambulance, Lehighton Ambulance, Ryan Township Emergency Rescue Squad/EMS, Tamaqua Police, Coaldale Fire Police and Tamaqua Fire Police.
“It was a great response by many volunteers,” said Angelo, who added the department’s appreciation to all fire companies and emergency personnel that responded.
Unofficial reports state the employees will be able to return to work today.
An explosion at the plant in Tamaqua in January 2000 shook nearby buildings and injured four workers.
That blast apparently was not related to magnesium work, unlike a 1978 explosion at the plant that killed two workers and badly burned a third, or one in 1990 that injured two workers.
– Source: Morning Call.
Burning magnesium can not being extinguished with water. Using water to extinguish the fire will only fuel the fire. Magnesium nitride (2) is the result of burning magnesium.
(Click HERE to view a demonstration posted on YouTube.)
Magnesium is the fourth-most-common element in the Earth as a whole (behind iron, oxygen and silicon), making up 13 percent of the planet’s mass and a large fraction of the planet’s mantle. In human biology, magnesium is the eleventh-most-abundant element by mass in the human body.
– Source: Wikipedia.
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