Magnesium fire just up the road...

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 9:59 pm

about 20 minutes away from here...in a factory which has several thousand tons of magnesium. Been burning for a few hours now and they don't have any control over it

sito · Post by **sito** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:03 pm

It must look like daylight.

Can ya get any pics?

Faust · Post by **Faust** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:04 pm

magnesium is no joke.... 'specially when it's burning. that's one of the dangers of machining it, too..... if it does catch fire when your turning/milling it, you stand a good chance of losing the machine if you can;t get it put out quickly.

i think water is not an option, either. since it burns in excess of what, 1500 to 2000 degrees, water will just react and make matters worse, no?

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:07 pm

You can not put it out when it starts, it creates its own oxygen and burns till its out.

scary ****

CiscoKid · Post by **CiscoKid** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:07 pm

That's gunna be burnin' for weeks...

EvilAngel · Post by **EvilAngel** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:15 pm

My company makes saw blades for Metal Mart and our route driver went to drop off blades one day, there was no building left. I beleive the company is in el monte. Magneisium is no joke. They do not use coolant or oil to cut their peices . All dry. I got freaked out when I delivered blades there one day and realised it was magnesium they were cutting. I took a handfull of the shaving home and showed the kids how metal could burn.

Is it on the news there? Got a link?

MadDoctor · Post by **MadDoctor** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:36 pm

A magnesium or napalm fire are both real scary.

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:36 pm

MadDoctor wrote:A magnesium or napalm fire are both real scary.

Hi Doc

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:37 pm

lefty04530 wrote:Hi Doc

unjacked

MadDoctor · Post by **MadDoctor** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:53 pm

lefty04530 wrote:jacked (right hand only please!)

fixed!

thechemgeek · Post by **thechemgeek** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:53 pm

lefty04530 wrote:You can not put it out when it starts, it creates its own oxygen and burns till its out. scary ****

hydrogen actually.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:36 pm

if water is 2 parts hydrogen, 1 part oxygen, how come it doesn't burn

Zilog B · Post by **Zilog B** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 11:39 pm

I'll bring the hot dog, you bring the buns

ScottE · Post by **ScottE** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:09 am

schlurpee wrote:I'll bring the hot dog, you bring the buns

Good luck getting within an hour of that.

MadDoctor · Post by **MadDoctor** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:19 am

Mark wrote:if water is 2 parts hydrogen, 1 part oxygen, how come it doesn't burn

(Short answer) When something burns it combines with oxygen. Water is the result to hydrogen "burning"... it already combined with oxygen. You really could say that it already burnt and therefore will not burn again.

ghost · Post by **ghost** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 1:09 am

thechemgeek wrote:hydrogen actually.

And you would know!

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:21 am

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/209723-9135-092.html

They're saying it'll probably burn for the next few days...

Illini25 · Post by **Illini25** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:27 am

Bet I'll end up seeing the smoke as I'll be in the north part of town today. Meeting at the Sheraton Keystone.

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:42 am

Illini25 wrote:Bet I'll end up seeing the smoke as I'll be in the north part of town today. Meeting at the Sheraton Keystone.

Possibly...we could see the glow from the fire last night from our house...

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:48 am

thechemgeek wrote:hydrogen actually.

Thats what they told me in boot camp. I stand corrected.

thechemgeek · Post by **thechemgeek** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:24 pm

Mg + 2H2O --> Mg(OH)2 + H2

same thing happens with some of the other alkaline earth metals (sodium, lithium, cesium). some just start fire. some explode. i've been witness to a chunk of pure sodium metal "skipping" about a pond. for a while it hits the water it jumps up in a small explosion. chemists have to have fun too. heh.

chemistry rules.

Noevo · Post by **Noevo** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:36 pm

I like the one quote "God doesn't have enough sand in Anderson," Fire Chief J.R. Rosencrans said.

From the CNN News story.

Glad nobody has appeared to be injured though.

Meggie · Post by **Meggie** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:37 pm

no pics?

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:43 pm

Meggie wrote:no pics?

Just the one from the newspaper article above...I'm far enough away that I wouldn't be able to take any pictures of it...

MissTynker2 · Post by **MissTynker2** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 12:45 pm

Indy wrote:http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/209723-9135-092.html

They're saying it'll probably burn for the next few days...

You need a gas mask! That smoke looks horrible...not to even think about the chemicals, ash, and smoke that must be filtrating everything in site! Be careful...take care of you and yours!

Illini25 · Post by **Illini25** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 1:27 pm

Back from Indy, didn't see any smoke or nothing.

Dr Virus · Post by **Dr Virus** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 2:24 pm

Mark wrote:if water is 2 parts hydrogen, 1 part oxygen, how come it doesn't burn

Just like table salt.. its made up of Na + Cl.. two substances that are very leathal. However, when mixed together, they produce soemthign you put in your frenchfries. In a chemical reaction, you get completely different properties

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:52 pm

Looks like the fire was initially fueled by the plant's sprinkler system. Ironic, isn't it?

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/209839-7180-092.html

Joint Chiefs of Staff · Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:56 pm

Indy wrote:Looks like the fire was initially fueled by the plant's sprinkler system. Ironic, isn't it?

http://www.indystar.com/articles/0/209839-7180-092.html

That's how Class Delta fires work.

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:28 pm

Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote:That's how Class Delta fires work.

Yep...magnesium parts on plane catches fire, push the plane over the edge of the carrier...

MadDoctor · Post by **MadDoctor** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 3:40 pm

Indy wrote:Yep...magnesium parts on plane catches fire

*looks left… looks right… Bouncer isn’t around*

w00t

I guess the Japanese Zero in WWII burnt "bright" when they were shot down.

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Sun Jan 16, 2005 5:16 pm

MadDoctor wrote:*looks at lefty… looks right… Bouncer isn’t around*

w00t

I guess we can go down.

fixed

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:05 pm

Turns out that the fire was no accident...

http://www.indystar.com/articles/6/212207-2976-092.html

drdoug99 · Post by **drdoug99** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:20 pm

Arson....jeez.

several other factories were set ablaze too i read..

i'm sorry, but if I get fired/laid off....I have to suck it up...not light a building on fire cuz I pissed off...what if other people got hurt?? guess they dont think about that

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:39 pm

drdoug99 wrote:Arson....jeez.

...what if other people got hurt?? guess they dont think about that

They usually don't, do they?

wee96 · Post by **wee96** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:29 am

Some people become quite lethal when you mess with them.

Joint Chiefs of Staff · Thu Jan 27, 2005 5:54 am

Did the authorities catch the caulprits?

wee96 · Post by **wee96** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:36 am

Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote:Did the authorities catch the caulprits?

"caulprits"

Joint Chiefs of Staff · Thu Jan 27, 2005 8:27 am

wee96 wrote:"caulprits"

Yeah big college word.

It was arson, no?

Indy · Post by **Indy** » Thu Jan 27, 2005 5:35 pm

Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote:Did the authorities catch the caulprits?

Not yet, and they haven't caught the culprits either