ArcelorMittal Fos-sur-Mer shut down blast furnace No. 2 due to a fire

An accident on the transport conveyors forced the company to shut down the workshop and may have consequences for the entire plant

On the morning of October 8, a large fire broke out at the ArcelorMittal steel plant in Fos-sur-Mer (France), leading to the shutdown of blast furnace No. 2. This was reported by LaProvence.

The fire broke out at around 4:00 a.m. on two conveyor lines that supplied raw materials to the steelmaking shop. The fire was only extinguished at 9:00 a.m. after several hours of work by internal fire brigades together with SDIS 13 rescuers. There were no casualties, but the damage was significant.

According to the company, the fire damaged the load-bearing structures of the conveyors and the electrical substation, which led to the shutdown of steelmaking production. The plant’s management immediately activated the internal security plan (POI). About 70 firefighters and three dozen special vehicles worked at the scene.

ArcelorMittal confirmed that blast furnace No. 2 will be shut down for at least two days. The downtime may be extended depending on the results of a technical assessment of the damage.

“Our priority is the safety of our employees and the restoration of normal operations,” the plant’s management said.

At the same time, the fire may have broader consequences, as the steelmaking shop is a central element of the production chain. Without it, the entire site will suffer, as slabs for further processing are not being produced. For now, the plant continues to operate on reserves, but they are quickly running out.

At an emergency CSE meeting, management informed staff about temporary measures. Employees may be transferred to part-time work, sent for training, or asked to use their vacation and RTT days.

The causes of the fire remain unknown. The company is continuing technical inspections to assess the extent of the damage and determine a plan to restore the entire site to operation.

As a reminder, ArcelorMittal recently began a major upgrade of blast furnace No. 1 at its site in Fos-sur-Mer, France. The €53 million investment will extend the unit’s service life and ensure its efficient operation amid capacity reductions – from 2024, only one of the two blast furnaces will be operating at the site. BF No. 1 is expected to be a reliable replacement for the current BF No. 2.