AHMSA’s cold rolling mill could remain halted for up to five months, according to a local union this week, after the Mexican steelmaker reported a fire at the plant this week.
The fire was reported at the company's MestaHitachi mill on Tuesday at 2:45 am, local time, when workers performed maintenance at the equipment, which was out of order.
A local union said the halt should last five months, as AHMSA will have to install new equipment. AHMSA did not respond to a request by SteelOrbis for comments.
According to the company's preliminary investigation, workers from contractor Calera were performing cutting and welding, and sparks reportedly ignited oil in the equipment. As workers couldn't stop the fire, they had to evacuate the area. Firefighters stopped the fire one hour later.