Worker injured in steel mill incident heard all around town

Algoma Steel is reporting one worker was injured this afternoon when water from today's heavy rain came into contact with molten slag.

"Today at approximately 1:45 p.m. an incident occurred at Algoma’s on-site slag reprocessing area when molten slag, a steel-making byproduct, came into contact with residual water from today’s heavy rainfall," Laura Devoni, director of corporate affairs and sustainability, tells SooToday.

"The resulting reaction caused a fire in a piece  of mobile equipment. One worker was treated on-site for injuries."

The incident is one of several slag-water interactions recently at the Sault steelmaker.

On Feb. 8, five Algoma Steel workers were treated at hospital and released after slag was reported to have made contact with moisture in a hot iron trough at the north casthouse of Algoma's blast furnace complex.

Eight days ago, neighbours of the steelmaker reported their houses were shaken when slag came into contact with moisture at Algoma's basic oxygen steel production (BOSP) facility.

People from as far away as Hilton Beach and Heyden reported hearing a loud boom at the time of today's incident.

SooToday will provide more details on this developing story as they become available.