News Flash

Magnablend CEO Reports on Status of Plant Fire Review

WAXAHACHIE, Texas, Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Magnablend, Inc. President and CEO Scott Pendery reported Thursday on the status of the company's review of the circumstances surrounding Monday's fire at its Central Facility in Texas.
Pendery emphasized that the inquiry remains in its early stages, and that the company has not yet had access to the plant. Nevertheless, he said, the company wants to share with the public the status of its review.
Pendery said the review is currently focusing on a particular batch of a product that was being prepared in the plant on Monday morning. The product, intended for use in treating wastewater, was blended exclusively at this facility and had been produced at the plant without incident in 16 smaller batches starting in August 2011. Following the successful preparation of these 500 gallon batches, and in accordance with established protocols, the company increased batch size to 2,500 gallons on Monday.
The investigation is currently attempting to determine why the larger batch produced a disproportionately greater quantity of steam when compared to the smaller batches. This steam, Pendery said, expanded to fill a large area of the plant, overwhelming the ventilation system and leading workers in the immediate vicinity to back away as they recognized a potential problem. Pendery said that one eyewitness reported seeing sparks in the production bay some distance from the blender, and a second witness reported seeing flames in the blending tank, though Pendery noted that the investigation remains in its early stages and employees are still being interviewed. Pendery said the review is also focusing on whether the steam column may have contained significant amounts of hydrogen. Workers immediately and successfully evacuated the plant without fatality or serious injury.
The company is committed to finding the cause of the fire, Pendery said. Additionally steps are already underway to ensure that no such incident happens again. Specifically, the Company is conducting a thorough review of all relevant practices, procedures, and conditions at all facilities and has engaged third-party experts to provide an independent assessment and audit of the Company's facilities and safety practices.
Pendery was joined at the press conference by Waxahachie Fire Chief David Hudgins, Fire Marshal Dennis Crecelius, and by EPA official Nicolas Brescia. Pendery reported that EPA air monitoring continues to find no evidence of harmful substances, and that the company has hired an independent contractor to also monitor and test offsite air quality. This contractor is reporting consistent results with those reported by the EPA. Pendery also said government authorities have determined that the approximately 600,000 gallons of wastewater removed from the site (primarily water used to fight the fire) is non-hazardous. Soil removal from the area where the wastewater had collected will begin in the next several days.
Pendery again expressed the company's appreciation to firefighters and other first-responders, and to the Waxahachie community for its support.
Magnablend, Inc. produces products for use in various industries, primarily agriculture, oil and gas, water treatment, and others. More information about the company can be found at www.magnablend.com.

CONTACT: Theresa Taylor of Magnablend, Inc., +1-817-881-8733, theresa.taylor@magnablend.com