Steel Mills

Second Fire this Month at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor

February 26, 2019

A fire at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor last night brought firefighters to the mill for the second time this month. No injuries were reported and the fire was contained by the Burns Harbor Fire Department.

ArcelorMittal USA spokeswoman Mary Beth Holford stated in an email: “Around 9 p.m. last evening at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, casting conditions allowed iron to go to the slag pit, which resulted in a minor eruption. There were no injuries and the facility continues normal operation.”

On Feb. 5, a high voltage power outage triggered the emergency flare system that burns off excess coke oven gas, resulting in a tower of flames. The incident also released 10,000 gallons of ammonia liquor onto the grounds. Ammonia liquor is liquid waste, a byproduct from the ammonia scrubbing operations associated with coke production. Operations at the plant were restored within 12 hours, the company said.