Two workers were injured when an explosion set off a massive fire at the Meridian Magnesium plant in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, roughly 80 miles west of Detroit.
The Meridian Magnesium explosion was reported shortly before 1:30 p.m. on May 3, 2018.
The blast set off a magnesium fire that has been characterized as the largest fire in the town’s history.
Two workers were transferred to Eaton Rapids Medical Center. Fortunately, they suffered only minor injuries.
“Lives were saved,” Eaton Rapids City Manager Aaron Desentz told the Lansing State Journal. “It’s a miracle that only two people were injured and very minor injuries at that.”
Magnesium fires can’t be extinguished with water, so responders were allowing the blaze to burn itself out.
The incident severely damaged the facility’s roof, forced portions of the complex to close, led to employee layoffs and temporarily halted vehicle production for some U.S. automakers, including the popular Ford F-150.