Magnesium facility destroyed by large fire in south Chicago suburb
A massive fire destroyed a magnesium plant overnight in Chicago's south suburbs.
The fire started around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Chicago Magnesium Casting Company foundry at 14101 Seeley Ave. in Dixmoor.
Dixmoor does not have its own fire department, so the response was up to the Posen Fire Department.
Crews spent several hours into the early morning on Thursday putting out the flames. Firefighters said several things went right to keep the fire contained to the foundry. The facility was still smoldering on Friday when crews returned.
But there were several issues they were still working on Thursday afternoon, and the main question – how did the fire start? – might never be answered due to the extent of the damage.
The blaze was made more challenging by the contents inside the building.
"Magnesium reacts with water, so that makes it a challenge. We had quite a few different explosions that were happening during the building from that chemical reaction. So we were able to contain it, but that was one of the big issues," Posen Fire Chief Jeff Cook said.
Dixmoor Village President Fitzgerald Roberts said when he arrived, there already had been several explosions.
"Barrels was blowing up and so forth," he said.
According to Chicago Magnesium's website, the foundry uses magnesium and aluminum to make castings for helicopters, jet fighters, jumbo transports, and regional jets – both military and commercial aviation.
Officials said it took up to 80 firefighters to get the flames under control. Part of the facility's roof collapsed, leaving firefighters concerned about the walls inside.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating the cause of the fire.
The Environmental Protection Agency collected air and runoff samples to check for elevated magnesium levels in the air and soil. Test results were still pending Thursday afternoon.
Cook said wind worked in the firefighters' favor overnight, keeping the flames away from homes nearby. He said, had the wind shifted, they would have had to evacuate about 100 homes.
No one was injured, and no one was working in the building at the time of the fire.
