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• Apr 30, 2006 3:49 pm US/Central
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  Spill, Fire Shuts Down Ind. Steel Plant

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Spill, Fire Shuts Down Ind. Steel Plant

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) ― A fire sparked by a spill of about 200 tons of molten iron has shut down part of Mittal Steel USA's plant at Indiana Harbor.

Company officials say the 2,000-degree liquid metal that started the fire spilled Friday night from a giant ladle when a crane's hoist became entangled with the ladle's tilting mechanism.

The molten iron was then poured onto the ground as it was being carried to the steel furnace, causing a fire in the Number 3 production shop that took Mittal and East Chicago firefighters four hours to extinguish.

Two workers were treated for minor injuries, but both later returned to work.

The Number 3 shop produces about three million tons of steel a year as do Mittal's two other steel production units.

It's unclear how long it would take to repair damaged area.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)