An aluminum plant that caught fire disrupting automaker’s supply, catches fire again
A Novelis aluminum plant that caught fire in September, disrupting automakers’ aluminum supply, caught fire for a third time Thursday.
A statement on its website says the fire began at 8:45 a.m. and that everyone at the plant was safely evacuated. No injuries were reported, according to the statement.
The statement, uploaded at 3:25 p.m. Thursday, says the fire was out and that multiple local fire departments remained at the site, located in Oswego, New York. The company hadn’t posted any updates as of Friday.
CNYCentral, a local news station, reports that numerous emergency crews responded to the five-alarm fire. It reports that Thursday’s fire seemingly started in the same location as the Sept. 16 fire.
A second, smaller fire happened in October, which the company said would not disrupt its schedule.
The plant updated on Nov. 11 that it was on track to restart the hot mill by the end of December. It has yet to make a statement on the timeline following the most recent fire.
Novelis aluminum accounts for 36% of the global market supply to the automotive industry, according to trade publication Supply Chain Dive.
The Oswego location is the company’s first U.S. operation and its largest wholly-owned fabrication facility in North America. It is equipped for aluminum scrap remelting, recycling, ingot casting, hot and cold rolling, and finishing, according to the company’s website.
Following the September fire, Ford paused production of its three-row SUVs, the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, at its Kentucky Truck Plant. The fire also impacted production of Ford F-150 pickup trucks and F-150 Lightning electric pickups.
Ford Authority reports that the production of F-150 Lightnings has been put on hold indefinitely.
According to Automotive News, Ford estimates the first fire could cost the company up to $2 billion.
Production at Stellantis and Nissan was also disrupted as aluminum is included in several key models, Automotive News reports.
A 2024 SEC filing for Novelis also mentions North American customers, including General Motors and Toyota.
“Ford has said it expects to lose up to 100,000 units of production in the fourth quarter as a result of the fire, but plans to make up roughly half of that in early 2026,” Automotive News reports.
The financial predictions were made before the newest fire on Thursday.
Automotive News reports a Ford spokesperson said the automaker was aware of the fire and was working with Novelis to get more information.
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Photo of Novelis’ New York plant courtesy of Novelis.