At 4:39 AM West Mead 1 was dispatched with other mutual aid departments to assist Vernon Township with a reported structure fire after an explosion at Advanced Cast Products on Mill Street. Engine 28-12 responded to the scene, a three-story brick and steel industrial building with smoke hanging in the area. The incident began with the explosion of one of three furnaces operating at Advanced Cast Products. Engine 28-12 assisted with water supply while its crew responded to the building. After firefighter crews ensured employees were accounted for, they began extinguishing all smoldering equipment and materials in the furnace area. West Mead 1 personnel assisted with command, accountability, lighting, and standby while maintenance staff removed molten metal from the other two furnaces. As the incident wound down, Cochranton was released from the scene and requested to stand by at West Mead 1’s Liberty Street station.
No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported.
Other departments on scene included Meadville Central, Meadville Ambulance, Vernon Township, Vernon Central, West Mead 2, Hayfield, Saegertown, Cochranton, and Conneaut Lake. Saegertown and Summit also stood by for departments responding to the incident.
Department 28 returned to service just before 9:00 AM.
As usual, GREAT REPORTING. What do they do with molten metal?
Get out of the way, mostly! Normal temps are about 2700 deg F, someone told me. The metal cools quickly when it’s removed from heat, so the challenge was getting the furnaces emptied quickly and safely. The furnaces tipped to pour the molten material into large carrying pans where it could solidify and then be removed as waste. Vernon Central posted a picture of the remnants here.