Exhaust fan blamed as source of Novelis fire Monday night
MILL TWP. (WJER) (April 25, 2023) – Dennison firefighters say they were able to prevent a fire from spreading throughout the Novelis rolled aluminum products plant on Newport Rd SE late Monday night.
Chief Dave McConnell says an employee called 9-1-1 just before 10 p.m. and reported a fire in a rolling mill. He says firefighters arrived to find an older exhaust fan had caught fire. The flames had also spread to part of the wall and the roof.
“Crews were able to stretch a line inside the building (and) put it out inside,” said McConnell, “We used (Uhrichsville’s) ladder truck to get a line up to the roof and put that fire out…”
McConnell says they had the fire out in about 15 to 20 minutes, however some firefighters remained on scene until shortly after midnight. He says the cause is being listed as undetermined, though they believe the age of the exhaust fan could have contributed, after speaking with Novelis administrators.
McConnell puts the damage estimate for the fan, the wall, and the roof at $50,000.
“That’s not counting any of their down time, their employees’ wages, or anything like that,” McConnell said, “because once this fire came in, they evacuate the entire facility.”
McConnell says there were no injuries, and the plant was back in operation for Tuesday. Firefighters from Uhrichsville, Gnadenhutten and Warwick Township also responded.