MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- A ladle broke Saturday morning at AK Steel's Middletown Works, spilling molten steel and starting a fire.
Four departments spent several hours working to contain the situation.
The initial call came at about 8 a.m. Saturday for a fire at the plant's basic oxygen furnace, where iron is made into steel. A ladle is a large container that holds the liquefied metal.
Video of the fire was submitted anonymously from inside the plant from someone who did not want to be identified for fear of losing their job.
Molten steel requires different firefighting tactics, officials said, because water instantly evaporates and can create dangerous splatters.
"It's a much more difficult type of fire event," said Jeff Spaulding, Middletown deputy fire chief. "It's not your typical house fire or building fire that most fire departments respond to."
A lieutenant with the Middletown Fire Department suffered minor injuries. Spaulding said he believed it was mostly fatigue, so the lieutenant was taken to Atrium Medical Center as a precaution.
No AK Steel employees were hurt, according to Lisa H. Jester, corporate manager of communications and public relations.
Fire departments from Liberty Township, Monroe and Franklin also responded to help Middletown firefighters. By about 11 a.m., they had the fire under control and expected to spend several more hours putting out hot spots.
AK Steel was looking into why the ladle broke.
