For the second time this year, the hot mill area of the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego County has been the scene of a major fire. According to the Oswego County Fire Coordinator, the plant was reported to be on fire shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday. The first units on the scene confirmed the fire at 8:49 a.m. and, within 10 minutes, elevated it to a four-alarm fire, calling in paid and volunteer firefighters from across the county, either to the scene or to staff fire stations emptied to fight the blaze.
County officials estimate between 80-100 firefighters from 20 departments around Oswego County helped with fire operations.
Novelis released a statement saying the fire was under control at 10:15 a.m., but county officials say the fire wasn't out until 12:20 p.m., and flared up again around 1 p.m.
Nearby residents noticed thick black smoke rising from the area as firefighters and water-carrying trucks sped to the scene.
In a statement, Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup said the fact that many of the fire departments that assisted in the fire are run by volunteers made fighting the fire a challenge.
"As many volunteers are at work and unavailable to respond to daytime incidents, mutual aid is a vital part of fire service, ensuring that communities have sufficient personnel and resources when they’re needed most," Weatherup said. "I would encourage residents who have an interest in serving their community to reach out to their local volunteer fire department and ask how they can help – whether it’s fighting fires or more general tasks in the fire station."
This is the second large fire in the hot mill area of the plant, the area where aluminum is melted and rolled into sheets. Those sheets become automobile panels. Ford depends on the Novelis Oswego plant for most of the aluminum for its popular line of pickup trucks. The first fire, in September, essentially destroyed the hot mill and caused Ford to lower its revenue forecasts by at least $1 billion.
Novelis had said it would take until sometime early in 2026 to rebuild the hot mill, but in recent days, it had told industry observers the mill could be back online in December. The extent of the damage from Thursday's fire is not yet known.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
