On Tuesday, July 12, a major accident was reported at Weston Aluminium on Mitchell Avenue. The molten aluminium that had spilt at the Kuri Kuri based smelter was, however, brought under control by the firefighters. The firefighters arrived at the spot at around 11.30 pm, where they discovered a substantial pour of molten aluminium.
“There was a spill of molten aluminium which was really concerning for firefighters because molten aluminium is very, very hot. Fortunately it was contained. A significant area of concern was the actual heat of the aluminium and if we applied water that turning to steam straight away and creating bigger problems. Firefights did cool and contain the area around with advice from our hazardous materials experts and the on-site technicians as well," said NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry
It took the firefighters six hours to cool and confine the molten aluminium. No injuries were reported, and the facility was returned to onsite control. However, this is not the first time that something like this happened at Weston Aluminium. In November 2021, a major fire had broken out at the Kuri Kuri based aluminium smelter.
Molten aluminium spill can result in catastrophic harm and damage as the volume of the steam grows quickly and throws molten metal far into the air. And if it comes in contact with water, it can transform into steam instantly, expanding to 1,600 times its original volume and causing a powerful explosion.
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