Explosion at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor Plant Damages Blast Furnace

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): An explosion at ArcelorMittal’s Burns Harbor facility is reported to have damaged a blast furnace. The fire incident took place early morning Thursday.

According to company press release, the fire at blast furnace D at the steelmaking facility has forced it to idle the blast furnace. The explosion is believed to have sent molten material out of the building before setting it on fire. The incident has led to unexpected closure of the blast furnace, which as per estimates, has a steelmaking capacity of nearly 2.48 million metric tons per year.

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The company’s internal fire department collaborated with the Harbor Fire and EMS and Porter Fire Department to contain and extinguish the fire.  No injuries were reported. The cause of the explosion and fire is still under investigation. However, initial response by company spokesperson indicates that a stove dome failure led to the incident. The furnace was safely taken offline, he added.

The company stated that it is currently preparing a timeline for repairs and that it is unlikely to have any impact on its ability to meet customer demand.

Meantime, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) confirmed that no negative impacts to receiving waterways, on account of the explosion, could be identified so far. The agency will continue to investigate the incident, said Ryan Clem, Director of Communications, IDEM.