Aluminum manufacturer Novelis suffered a third fire in two months at its plant in Oswego, New York. The company announced on its website that the fire began around 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 20 and that multiple local fire departments extinguished it by 3:25 p.m. The company added that all workers safely evacuated.
The Wall Street Journal cited anonymous sources who said the incident appeared to occur in the same area as the first blaze in September. Novelis has not disclosed any details regarding damage.
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That September fire, which Novelis estimated caused a total impact of $21 million, primarily affected the Oswego facility’s hot mill responsible for aluminum sheet production. The company noted that other production areas sustained damage, mainly from water.
A restoration timeline on Novelis’ website outlines efforts to repair the factory, including bringing the cold mill, finishing and recycling/ingot casting areas back online. In a quarterly report from early November, the company announced that it planned to resume hot mill operations in December.
An entry on Nov. 11 stated that the company had completed all roof trusses, columns, roof decking and ductwork. It added that it finished reconstructing the roof above the shipping area, hot mill and motor room, and that access to the hot mill and cellars had largely been restored. Work remained on installing X-bracing along the mill bay and sections of the hot mill fume exhaust, as well as on critical cable, conduit and switchgear systems.
The second fire broke out on Oct. 10 during roof repair. Novelis reported no injuries and said it would not affect recovery timing.
The Oswego factory serves as Novelis’ largest, wholly owned fabrication facility in North America and employs 1,100 workers. After the fire in September, the Journal reported that the facility provides approximately 40% of aluminum sheets used in the U.S. auto industry, with Ford as the biggest user. Ford announced in its third quarter financial report that it expects the fire to cost the company up to $2 billion.
IEN did not receive a response from Novelis to its request for comment.
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