Three firefighters hurt in fire and explosion inside plant | News

MONROE, OH (FOX19) – Three Monroe firefighters were injured Wednesday afternoon there was explosion outside a piece of equipment that had a fire in it.

At 1:51 p.m., trucks were dispatched to Deceuninck North America for an active fire in the building.  When they arrived, they were told that there was a fire in a hopper containing a wood composite material.

During the extinguishment of the burning material inside the hopper, what is believed to be a dust explosion occurred outside the hopper.  The explosion created a flash fire that resulted in injury to 3 Monroe firefighters.

The 3 firefighters were all transported, with one going to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton with second degree burns, and the remaining 2 treated and released at Atrium Medical Center. The fire was fully extinguished around 2 hours later.  Five engines, two ladders, and four squads came to the scene, while mutual aid came from the City of Middletown, Liberty Twp, Deerfield Twp, City of Franklin, and Fairfield Twp.

The fire department believes the fire happened as a result of material being jammed in discharge area of the hopper, and heating to the point of ignition.

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