Updated: Novelis has second fire at Oswego, New York, plant

Novelis Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, has had a second fire at its Oswego, New York, plant.

The incident at the aluminum company's largest, wholly owned fabrication facility in North America began around 8:45 a.m. Nov. 20, with Novelis saying everyone working at the plant was safely evacuated with no injuries.

Multiple local fire departments responded, and the fire was extinguished, with crews remaining on-site to monitor the situation.

The second fire occurred after Novelis had made what it said was “substantial progress in the recovery and rebuilding of the Oswego plant’s hot mill” in a statement posted to its website Nov. 11. At that time, the company said it was on track to restart the hot mill by year-end.

In the Nov. 11 statement, Novelis said all roof trusses, columns, roof decking and ductwork had been completed, with the roof above the shipping area, hot mill and motor room was finished.

“Access to the hot mill and cellars has largely been restored, with pumps and motors being reinstalled. Critical cable, conduit and switchgear work continues,” the company added.

Novelis has not yet issued a statement about how the Nov. 20 fire has affected this work and its restart timeline. 

The Oswego facility produces more than a billion pounds of aluminum sheet annually, serving the automotive, beverage can and building and construction markets. Ford is among the automakers Novelis supplies, the the companies released a joint statement the afternoon of Nov. 21 noting that the cold mill and heat treatment operations at Novelis Oswego plant were back up and running as of the morning. The facility continues to ship finished material to supply Ford, with Novelis saying it will continue to leverage alternate sources, including its global network of plants and industry peers, to mitigate the impact on the automaker.

Novelis notes it is committed to strengthening the U.S. aluminum supply chain for its customers by building a new plant in Bay Minette, Alabama, which will begin commissioning in the second half of 2026.

Ford reaffirms its full-year 2025 adjusted earnings before interest and taxes guidance of $6-$6.5 billion and full-year adjusted free cash flow of $2-$3 billion.

This item was updated the afternoon of Nov. 21 to add comments from Novelis and Ford.