Friday, March 29, 2024

Fire disruption was minimal

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Ravensdown was supplying fertiliser from its Hornby plant just two days after Tuesday’s spectacular blaze put up a black smoke trail that could be seen from most of Christchurch.
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Four of the site’s 13 stores were damaged but raw material rock phosphate and potash stored there were not damaged and can be processed as normal, Ravensdown chief executive Greg Campbell said.

Fertiliser was available for pick-up on Thursday and while delays had been expected in loading trucks that did not happen to a marked degree and the restart went smoothly.

“We’ve got product here and plenty of it. There’s a lot going out to arable farms at this time of year.”

There were no injuries from the mid-morning fire which was put out relatively quickly by plant staff and Fire and Emergency before reaching an adjacent sulphur store.

Ravensdown’s manufacturing and precision blending plant were away from the fire area. 

Full manufacturing was expected to resume with a week.

Investigations are ongoing but the cause of the fire was thought to have been a spark from welding during maintenance work setting alight rubber on the big conveyor belt system, which then moved up to the roof.

“It is a new, lightweight fibreglass structure, put up since the earthquakes, and it performed as it is supposed to, burning out and extinguishing before getting into the framing of the building.”

The design and structure also meant firefighters could work from outside the buildings.

He praised the response of Ravensdown’s own small fire team and firefighters as outstanding. 

Contrary to some claims the building did not contain any asbestos, Campbell said. 

Nor were nitrates or explosives stored on the site. That was to guard against manufacturing site risk.   

Ravensdown hasn’t had to import any product from other group sites to meet demand.

The fertiliser plant has been operating at Hornby since 1922. 

“We can learn things from this and make changes to make us safer.” 

The buildings were insured and will be replaced.

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