ArcelorMittal Gijon, Spain blast furnace A halted after fire

Blast furnace A at ArcelorMittal’s Gijon, Spain steel mill has been evacuated after a fire at the site, a company spokesperson said March 22.

The fire started during a maintenance halt at the furnace.

An unexpected reaction took place in the cauldron causing pig iron to escape through the nozzles, triggering the fire, the spokesperson said.

The company did not elaborate on the extent of the damage.

The site was safely evacuated without injuries and the fire was then controlled and extinguished at 7 pm CET (6 pm GMT), according to the spokesperson.

At present, work is ongoing to cool down the site, the spokesperson added.

Blast furnace B remained in operation.

Blast furnace A was restarted in February after four months of inactivity to run at reduced rates in line with market conditions.

The two units at Spain’s largest steel site together have a capacity of 4.5 million mt/year.

— Gianluca Baratti