Steel Mills
Explosion at Republic Steel Lorain
Written by Sandy Williams
June 17, 2014
An explosion at Republic Steel in Lorain, Ohio sent three people to the hospital early Monday morning. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. according to firefighters. The injuries were reported as “not life threatening.”
Lorain Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Gary Burls said a combination of a water leak and scrap metal falling into the hot blast furnace caused metal to be ejected from the furnace hitting three workers standing nearby.
The explosion occurred in the melt shop while restarting the furnace after the weekend shut down, according to Republic Steel. The furnace was shut down following the explosion to assess damage and complete investigation of the incident. The company says damage appears minimal and production is expected to resume on Tuesday.
Headquartered in Canton, Ohio, Republic Steel is a leading supplier of Special Bar Quality (SBQ) steel bars used for automobiles, off-highway vehicles and industrial equipment. Steel bars are produced at the Canton facility with value-added rolling and finishing facilities located in Canton, Lorain and Massillon, Ohio; Lackawanna, N.Y.; Gary, Ind.; and Hamilton, Ontario. The Company employs more than 2,000 people.
Sandy Williams
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