Fire hits Ohio EAF mill

A scrap-fed electric arc furnace (EAF) mill in Mingo Junction, Ohio, near the West Virginia border, experienced a fire this week reportedly caused when “250 tons of molten steel burnt through a ladle.”

That description of the cause comes from a report by WTRF-TV, based in Wheeling, West Virginia.

The TV station says that by late in the day Wednesday, Aug. 31, the chief of the Mingo Junction Fire Department had told it the fire was under control, and crews were clearing the scene.

The chief nonetheless described it as “a large fire,” and indicated the molten steel that broke out from its ladle “caught the floor above it on fire.”

The same report also says “JSW hydrants on scene were not working,” so water tanker trucks had to be called in. Those hydrants were not city hydrants but may have belonged to the property owner, according to WTRF.

The Mingo Junction mill was built nearly two decades ago by the now defunct Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. Current India-based owner JSW Steel says in the period from April to June 2022, JSW Steel USA Ohio Inc. produced more than 1.7 million metric tons of steel slabs in Mingo Junction, according to India-based publication The Hindu. JSW converted about 1 million metric tons of that into hot rolled coil (HRC) steel.

The Ohio-based subsidiary has been profitable for the India-based firm, The Hindu reports, recording earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $1.14 million in its most recent financial quarter.