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An accident shortly before noon Friday at Warsaw Foundry Co. Inc. left one worker injured and closed production at the plant.
The name and age of the injured worker, a male, was not available. It is believed he was splashed with molten metal and he was taken by ambulance to St. Joe Regional Burn Center, Fort Wayne, for treatment of his injuries.
Officials at Warsaw Foundry did not return calls as of late Friday.
According to a spokesman for the Warsaw Fire Department, the accident occurred when 1,900 pounds of material was dropped into a holding pot containing about 2,500 pounds of molten metal. The amount being added "came down with a force," said Jon Swoverland of the WFD, "and knocked some (of the molten metal) out."
There was a small fire, but little damage resulted from that, officials said. The foundry was temporarily evacuated, but some personnel were still in the building late Friday afternoon.
The biggest threat was of the molten mass coming into contact with water. When moisture interacts with the liquid, an explosion usually results. The foundry could reopen as soon as today, fire officials said, if the molten metal - both the spillage and what was still in the holding pot - resolidifies.
Because there wasn't much actual fire, the firefighters remained on the scene as a precaution in case of explosion.
Warsaw police helped with traffic control in the area and Detroit Street (Ind. 15) was closed for about an hour between Center Street and Anchorage Road.
