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> As you'd expect, water on hot metal will lead to steam explosions. Steam explosions which kick up more metal in air. But I think typical firefighting foam wo
by yetihehe 6y ago
> As you'd expect, water on hot metal will lead to steam explosions.
Steam explosions which kick up more metal in air. But I think typical firefighting foam would easily help with that, much less water but still deprives fire of oxygen.
- petertodd 6y agoYou're quite right. But if the metal isn't chemically reacting with the water - and it doesn't look like molten iron does - that's not that bad. If you asked me to fight such a fire, I'd setup some unmanned nozzles, retreat, turn on the pumps slowly, and just wait it out. Probably will be an expensive total loss. But no-one gets hurt, and the burning iron doesn't itself release particularly toxic fumes, so no long term harm. Not that bad really for an industrial fire.