Steel Plant Explosions Injure Six, Temporarily Close Facility

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Steel Plant Explosions Injure Six, Temporarily Close Facility

Salt Lake City, UT, United States

3/5/2000- 10:15 AM

The series of explosions occurred at Geneva Steels's Vineyard plant. The facility was expected to reopen today (Tues. 3/7/2000).

The first explosion occurred when several workers were taking a steel sample from a furnace.

The molten steel, heated to a temperature of 2,300 degrees, hit a water line, releasing steam and seeting off a series of a dozen explosions.

"By the time the dusst cleared it looke more like a battle ground," Gary Larson, a worker who suffered minor injuries in the explosion told Salt Lake City TV station KUTV. "Everything was burned up."

Carl Ramnitz, Geneva's vice president for human resources, said the exact cause of the problem had not been determined, but the employees had done nothing wrong.

Four workers were treated and released from the Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem. Two others, Dennis Rowley and Richard Lerogy, were airlifed to the burn center at the University of Utah.

Leroy was later released. Rowley is in stable condition with second-degree burns to his hands, face and head.

http://chemsafety.gov/circ/post.cfm?incident_id=4709

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 07, 2000


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