GREENVILLE, Mich. — There was an explosion Friday at the Dicastal manufacturing facility in Greenville, according to Montcalm Co. Central Dispatch.
Dispatch says the explosion happened around 9:45 p.m.
The Greenville Department of Public Safety told FOX 17 on scene that all employees are accounted for, and one was taken to the hospital with severe burn injuries.
"I did see clear signs of structural damage. The exterior walls of the building had actually exploded and...sent debris outward," Greenville DPS Sgt. Steve DeWitt told FOX 17 on scene. "You can see debris...that had been on the inside, was actually blown outside."
The city says the eruption happened in the foundry area of the plant, and the ceiling and roof areas broke out in flames.
Crews were able to contain the fire to the foundry area.
An official tells me it was an explosion. I’m working to find out if anyone was injured. pic.twitter.com/jdFCtNV0WZ
— Matt Witkos Reporter (@matt_witkos) March 18, 2023
Shanna Nummer captured video of Friday night's explosion, from 21 miles away, on her security camera.
WATCH:
"This is where they take large blocks of solid aluminum or magnesium, they melt it down in blast furnaces and then they use that liquid metal for the rest of the process," Sgt. DeWitt said. "So this area has...tremendous heat."
Dicastal manufactures aluminum alloy wheels for the auto industry, according to its website.
"One of the challenges we have with this type of fire is we cannot use water on liquid metal aluminum. Magnesium reacts violently with water," Sgt. DeWitt explained. "It's not a traditional firefighting effort. We can't just put water on it and put it out, so we have to use dry chemicals or we have to remove the oxygen from the fire."
FOX 17 reported on a fire at the facility back in July 2020 when employees were evacuated after aluminum particles caught fire inside a furnace.
READ MORE: Fire crews respond to Dicastal plant in Greenville
Less than a year earlier in September 2019, another fire broke out at the plant.
READ MORE: Fire breaks out in Greenville automotive manufacturer
Fire crews declared the fire "under control" around 1:45 a.m., and cleared the scene at 3 a.m.
Right now, it's not clear what caused the explosion, but Sgt. DeWitt said the explosion did not cause any environmental issues in the area.
