Explosion Halts Steel-Melting Operation at Calif. Steel Mill

An explosion inside a steel-melting machine in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., sent four people to the hospital and stopped production at California's only steel mini-mill early March 16th.

The four workers at Rancho Cucamonga-based Tamco Steel were hospitalized with minor to moderate burns and cuts requiring stitches, said Jack Stutz, president and CEO. Stutz said the factory, a key supplier of steel used in construction throughout California, has adequate reserves to continue filling orders while damaged equipment is repaired.

Tamco Steel is one of the primary sources of steel reinforcement bars for concrete construction in the western United States. The company, which is owned jointly by Ameron International, Tokyo Steel and Mitsui & Co. employs more than 350 people and produces 500,000 tons of rebar annually.

The explosion happened in Tamco Steel's electric arc furnace, which melts scrap steel into semi-finished steel billets. The billets are later reheated in another machine to make rebar.

Stutz said Tamco Steel maintains a month's supply of billets. The rebar finishing area of the company will continue to operate, he said.

"From our customers' end, they won't know anything is going on," Stutz said. "We have more than enough buffer to handle this."

Stutz estimated that repairs to the arc furnace will take a week or less. Press Enterprise (California)