11 photos of the #7 blast furnace explosion

11 photos of the #7 blast furnace explosion

This photo of the damaged Essar Steel Algoma #7 blast furnace was taken tonight by SooToday.com's Carol Martin.

Unofficial word from inside the plant is that a slag pit at the giant furnace had water in it, causing a hydrogen explosion taller than the furnace itself.

"What happened was after they tapped the molten iron out of the furnace and dumped the slag into the pit, there was water in the pit and the explosion was the water turning into steam instantly. There was just a couple of garbage cans on fire," a SooToday.com reader tells us in an entirely unconfirmed version of facts that we have heard from numerous people tonight.

Please click on the photo gallery below to see reader-submitted photos.