Scrap Furnace Blast Kills Two

An oil-fueled aluminum scrap furnace exploded at the Yaffe Iron & Metal Co. Inc. plant in Muskogee, Okla., in late December, killing two employees.

According to a report in the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper, a 40-year-old man and a 24-year-old man working near the furnace were killed in the blast, which occurred the evening of Tues., Dec. 28.

Two other employees, including a security guard, and 14 people in the Muskogee neighborhood surrounding the scrap recycling facility were also treated for injuries.

The explosion was described as fierce by those in close proximity to it, and the flash of light, booming sound and accompanying vibration could be seen, heard or felt up to 50 miles away, according to published reports. Nearby homes and businesses were also damaged by flying debris or experienced shattered windows caused by he explosion.

Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told the Muskogee newspaper that criminal behavior was not suspected, referring to the explosion instead as an industrial accident.

Molten aluminum can be a volatile material, with explosions historically often having been caused by the accidental introduction of non-metallic materials into melting furnaces.

Yaffe Iron & Metal president Andrew Yaffe told the Muskogee Phoenix that the company’s staff members would have “emotional stuff to work through,” but that the facility planned on re-opening for business on Monday, Jan. 2.

The Muskogee facility also serves as the headquarters for a chain of 14 metals and recycling locations operated by the Yaffe group of companies in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas.