Aluminum Blast Kills 2 in Arkansas

A scrap-melting furnace accident at the Arkansas Aluminum Alloys plant in Hot Springs, Ark., appears to be the cause of an explosion that has reportedly killed two people.

According to an Associated Press report, an explosion early Tuesday morning, Oct. 31, has killed two people and injured another person.

The explosion took place “in a production area where aluminum is melted down for recycling,” according to the AP report, which attributes the description to Arkansas Aluminum Alloys human resources and safety director Mike Shaw.

Shaw also told AP that the cause of the blast was undetermined, that there was no chemical release and no subsequent fire after the explosion.

The plant reportedly operates 24 hours per day. The company’s Web site says Arkansas Aluminum Alloys is a producer of specification alloy ingots and sows using aluminum scrap as its feedstock.