Jim Haight wrote to TOM WALKER:

 >> Magnesium fires cannot be extinguished by water. Magnesium continues
 >> to burn after oxygen is depleted. It than reacts with nitrogen from
 >> air to form magnesium nitride (Mg3N2). When attempts are made to
 >> extinguish magnesium fires with water, magnesium aggressively reacts
 >> with hydrogen gas. To prevent any damage, a magnesium fire must be
 >> covered in sand. An example of a magnesium compound is magnesium
 >> phosphide (Mg3P2), an odorous, grey solid. When this compound comes in
 >> contact with water or moist air, it is decomposed and phosphine (PH3)
 >> is formed. This is a toxic compound, and it is also very flammable in
 >> air.

 JH> Yep!  All you can do is walk away..very fast!

On the contrary, you can throw dirt on it and it will smother, IF you
caught it soon enough. When I worked at Boeing, they had magnesium fire
extinguishers and every machinist who was machining magnesium had an
extinguisher and an operator standing by. I was a tool & die maker there
and had the run of everywhere anybody with a 'secret' security clearance
could go. Boeing's SST wing pivot was made out of magnesium and there
was never a fire that got out of hand that I knew of...


         R\%/itt


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 * Origin: Bow Tie Racers, Been There, Done That! (1:387/22)