Bokaro Steel Plant Fire: 23 Hospitalized, No Casualties

Bokaro, Apr 6 (PTI) A fire broke out at SAIL's Bokaro Steel Plant in Jharkhand on Saturday morning, following which 23 workers were hospitalised for exposure to smoke, officials said.

The incident happened when scheduled maintenance work was underway in the mixed gas pipeline through which gas is supplied to the re-heating furnace of the hot strip mill, a statement issued by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) said.

Twenty-three people, including some contractual workers, who were working in the re-heating furnace area of the hot strip mill, came in contact with the smoke, the statement said.

As a precautionary measure, they were kept under observation at the Bokaro General Hospital, and were discharged in the evening, officials said, adding that there were no casualties.

The SAIL said that as a part of the maintenance work, a compensator in the pipeline was also to be changed and during that job, residual naphtha, sulphur and tar, which are all highly inflammable, caught fire resulting in a lot of smoke that spread through the pipeline.

The fire was eventually extinguished, it said.

"Investigation was also done using a gas analyser and it was found that there was no incident of any kind of gas leakage," the statement said.

Senior officers of the Bokaro district administration also visited the plant and the hospital.

"SAIL-Bokaro Steel Plant is fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its workers. Workers are regularly apprised of safety protocols and all efforts are being made to ensure compliance with safety rules," the statement said.

SAIL, a 'Maharatna' Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE), is one of the largest steel-making companies in the country.

It produces iron and steel at five integrated plants, including the Bokaro Steel Plant, and three special steel plants, located principally in the eastern and central regions of the country.

The Bokaro Steel Plant produces flat products such as hot rolled coils, plates and sheets, cold rolled coils and sheets, tin mill black plates (TMBP), and galvanised plain and corrugated sheets.