Minor fire breaks out in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, extinguished

Visakhapatnam, 12 Dec (PTI) A minor fire broke out at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant here on Friday when metal scrap was being dumped at a pit of the Steel Melting Shop section, said an official.

The incident occurred after dry grass and garbage near the pit caught fire, following sparks from the metal falling off a truck -- a routine occurrence in the dumping area, he said.

"A minor fire broke out at the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) while metal waste was being dumped into the metal pit of the Steel Melting Shop (SMS) section," VSP Deputy General Manager (DGM) J Mallikarjun told PTI.

The DGM said that there was smoke in the area, and staff immediately moved to safety.

Firefighters were alerted, and they brought the situation under control. No injuries were reported, he said.

Fire tenders reached the spot and extinguished the flames, preventing further damage in the largely deserted dumping zone where such minor incidents occur frequently, said Mallikarjun.

He said that the extent of the damage was minimal and that routine safety checks are being reviewed to prevent similar incidents. PTI MS STH ADB