Man seriously injured by liquid metal explosion in Marengo

An employee at Marengo’s Arnold Engineering suffered life-threatening burn injuries from molten metal following an equipment explosion there Tuesday afternoon, a fire district spokesperson said.

The man was was taken by ambulance to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford rather than flown because of an expected wait for a medical helicopter, officials said.

The male employee suffered his injuries after a “liquid metal explosion occurred inside a machine.” The release does not say what was happening at the time of the explosion.

The Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts were called to the building at 300 N. West St., Marengo, about 2:30 p.m. for the report of a commercial structure fire, officials said.

Light smoke was showing from the building’s exterior when firefighters arrived four minutes after the call. Employees already had evacuated. The small fire, contained to the immediate area of the machine, was put out in about 10 minutes. No structural damage was reported, and damage estimates were not available from fire officials.

The building was turned back over to the owner about 5 p.m.

According to the company website, the building houses a division of Arnold Magnetic Technologies producing thin and ultra-thin alloys. A person answering the general phone number said the company had no comment about the incident.