Two contract employees were taken to UAB Hospital after a fire broke out Wednesday while workers were welding on a roof at American Cast Iron Pipe Company's sprawling Birmingham campus. Fire crews were called to the scene just after the blaze ignited, responding to what was initially reported as a commercial fire before accounts emerged describing a possible explosion and gas leak in the area where employees were working.
The fire was extinguished, and the cause remains under investigation, according to an ACIPCO spokesperson cited by WBRC 6 News. It is the third fire-related emergency to hit the massive North Birmingham facility in roughly nine weeks, following an August paint machine fire and a September evacuation that both drew Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service crews to the site.
A Pattern of Recent Fires
On August 19, Birmingham Fire and Rescue crews responded to a commercial structure fire at the plant after a paint machine caught fire, sending heavy smoke across the city before it was brought under control with no reported injuries, according to the Daily Dispatch. That blaze required a hazardous materials team response. Weeks later, on September 28, ACIPCO was forced to evacuate a building on its campus following a reported fire that again brought fire personnel to the site, with smoke visible across the metro area, per the same outlet's reporting.
Wednesday's incident involved hot work on a roof, a task governed by strict federal rules. Under 29 CFR 1910.252, OSHA regulations require pre-work inspections, 35-foot combustible clearances, nearby fire extinguishers, and a mandatory 30-minute post-work fire watch whenever welding or similar hot work is conducted near flammable hazards, according to the Federal Register. Hot work permits are recommended to confirm those precautions are in place before welding begins.
What Federal Reporting Rules Require Next
Separately, a 1994 OSHA final rule states that employers must report incidents involving three or more employee hospitalizations within eight hours. Failure to report within that deadline can carry civil penalties.
The incident comes as ACIPCO pursues a capital investment project. The project received approval from commissioners in Jefferson County, Alabama, on Jan. 6. The plant's primary Birmingham facility spans 2,000 acres north of downtown and manufactures ductile iron pipe, steel pipe, valves, and hydrants across 242,000 square meters of roofed production space.
A Century-Old Employee Trust
ACIPCO, founded in Birmingham in 1905, operates under a beneficial trust established in 1922 by co-founder John J. Eagan, who willed company stock into trust for the benefit of its employees, according to Encyclopedia.com. The trust reflects the company's employee-focused principles.
The company's standing took center stage just weeks before Wednesday's fire. On October 1, ACIPCO was named the 2026 Large Alabama Manufacturer of the Year by the Business Council of Alabama, Alabama Technology Network, and Manufacture Alabama, an award recognizing leadership and workforce development.
No further details on the condition of the two hospitalized contract workers have been released, and the investigation into the cause of Wednesday's fire remains ongoing.
