Steel Mills

Fire at ArcelorMittal Weirton Strip Mill

May 16, 2015

An electrical fire Friday at ArcelorMittal Weirton in West Virginia sent eight employees to the hospital. A transformer at the Weirton strip steel operation malfunctioned causing adjacent electrical equipment to catch fire said ArcelorMittal spokesperson Mary Beth Holford.

The fire was extinguished quickly and employees working the area were evacuated as a precaution. Several employees were evaluated for smoke inhalation, including the eight that were sent to the hospital, said Holford.

There was some concern by Weirton Fire Department officials regarding a type of oil used in the old transformers. According to Weirton Fire Capt. Bob Hinchee the oil is a carcinogen. “It didn’t affect us where we were at,” said Hinchee. “The mill is assessing it for their personnel. Everybody responded quickly in a timely manner. We worked well with Mittal employees and the fire was extinguished without any problem.”

ArcelorMittal says there were no serious and injuries and “no risk to the Weirton community as a result of the incident.”

The tandem mill where the incident occurred is in a controlled shutdown while the incident is investigated, said Holford.