MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Fire Department on Wednesday extinguished an early morning fire at Cleveland Cliffs Mansfield Works, a blaze fed by a natural gas leak.
One firefighter was treated at the scene for a minor injury, likely related to overexertion, according to Chief Dan Crow.
The chief said there were no injuries reported to workers at the 548-acre industrial site that includes more than 1.6 million square feet of manufacturing space on the city’s north side.
Firefighters were dispatched at 4:05 a.m. to the 913 Bowman St. factory, formerly owned by AK Steel.
The large response included three engine companies, a ladder truck, two rescue squads and the on-duty assistant chief.
They encountered a heavily involved fire, fed by a natural gas leak, in the center of the plant in the vicinity of a large kiln.
(Below is a PDF of the Mansfield Fire Department incident report from the Wednesday morning fire.)
Intense heat
“The heat was so intense when firefighters first arrived that they could not get into the building,” Crow said.
“Our firefighters worked closely with maintenance crews to turn off the gas line and isolate the leak, before extinguishing the fire,” the chief said.
“Once the gas was turned off, we could get inside and extinguish the fire,” he said.
He said firefighters found insulation and other combustible material in the building had caught fire, in addition to the gas-fed blaze.
Dangerous situation
The leaking natural gas created an even more dangerous situation.
“It makes the environment around you explosive,” Crow said. “You are potentially in a vapor cloud.
“Once it finds an ignition source, it can turn into a catastrophe really quick.”
He said steel manufacturing involves several processes that pose a risk to firefighter safety, including large-diameter gas lines and high voltage lines.
As a result, Crow said, firefighters requested assistance from Columbia Gas to help with the leak.
“Due to the quick actions of Cleveland Cliffs staff and the responding fire crews, the plant reported no stop in production and operations will continue at full capacity as soon as repairs can be made,” Crow said.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 5:17 a.m., according to the chief.
According to the company website, Cleveland Cliffs Mansfield Works features a thin slab caster that uses an advanced technology production system to meet exact customer specifications.
The factory, which the website said employs 395 workers, has the capacity to handle more than 600,000 net tons of raw steel annually.
