Posco apologizes after Pohang plant suffers from 2nd fire in as many weeks

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Posco apologizes after Pohang plant suffers from 2nd fire in as many weeks

Published: 25 Nov. 2024, 16:47

JIN EUN-SOO
[email protected]

A fire broke out at Posco's Pohang furnace on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Korean steelmaker Posco issued an apology on Monday after a second fire broke out at its Pohang facilities in the span of two weeks.

"We apologize for causing concerns over consecutive fires at the No. 3 Finex furnace," said Cheon Si-yeol, head of the steelmaker's Pohang facilities in a statement Monday.

"We were committed to recovering from the fire that broke out on Nov. 10, but in the process of test operating the facilities, an additional fire broke out. The company is rolling out a full-fledged effort to sort out the accident by forming a response team."

The fire started at the steel company's patented No. 3 Finex furnace in the plant at 11:18 p.m. Sunday.

Firefighters dispatched 21 fire trucks and some 50 personnel to the scene before extinguishing the fire at 1:13 a.m. Monday.

The police and fire agency plan to look into the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage, with no casualties reported.

Just two weeks earlier, a fire broke out at the same furnace, injuring one worker and halting production. The company had resumed normal operations at the furnace on Tuesday last week.

"The fire at the No. 3 Finex furnace won't affect the Pohang plant's daily output capacity of 30,000 to 40,000 tons as the No. 2 Finex furnace and three blast furnaces [in Pohang] will help offset the production losses of the affected Finex furnace," a company spokesperson said over the phone.

Posco aims to resume operations of the No. 3 Finex furnace within this year, he added.

In addition to its Pohang furnaces, the company operates five blast furnaces at another domestic integrated steel mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla.

BY JIN EUN-SOO, YONHAP [[email protected]]