March 24, 2005

Accident at steel plant injures 12

DEARBORN, Mich.

Spilled molten steel caused a fire and explosion Monday at a Michigan steel plant, injuring 12 people, officials said.

A transport vehicle that can carry hundreds of tonnes of molten steel was backing into a building at the sprawling River Rouge industrial complex when some of its high-temperature cargo sloshed out, said William Hornberger, a spokesman for Severstal, the Russian company that owns the plant.

The molten steel hit two of the vehicle’s huge tires, setting them afire and causing them to explode minutes later while Dearborn firefighters were battling the flames, Hornberger said. The explosion blew out part of the building’s steel sheet siding and caused electrical damage, he said.

Three were hospitalized in stable condition Monday afternoon; the other injured people were treated and released at hospitals.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident.

The Associated Press

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