Update 7:20: The fire that started late this afternoon at Algoma Steel started on the company’s coal conveyor belt that supplies two coke batteries, Brenda Stenta of Algoma Steel Emergency Services wrote in an email to SooToday. Crews from Algoma Emergency Services and City Fire responded to the fire. The fire was extinguished and the people moved away. Firefighters remain at the scene to monitor the scene. No injuries have been reported so far. Algoma Steel is currently assessing the damage. The full email from Stenta follows: Late this afternoon, a fire broke out on the coal conveyor belt that feeds two of the coke batteries. Algoma Emergency Services personnel responded with support from City Fire. Area personnel have been evacuated and the fire has been extinguished. Fire Department forces remain at the scene to monitor and extinguish the scene. No one was injured. The company is assessing the extent of the damage and the time to repair and return to normal coke production. There is no effect on iron or steel production. The Spill Action Center and the Ministry of the Environment have been notified Original story: Black smoke billowed from Algoma Steel late this afternoon. SooToday has learned from steel mill workers, who chose to remain anonymous, that the fire may have started inside the coal tower. The plumes of smoke seem to have stopped for a few minutes and started again. Flames are visible inside the top of the tower. Firefighters are currently working at the scene. The smoke reduced significantly after 6pm, while the area around the coal tower has been seen shrouded in fog.
