3 hurt in explosion at NE Ohio steel mill

LORAIN, Ohio (AP) — A Northeast Ohio fire official says three workers were injured in an explosion inside a new blast furnace at Republic Steel’s plant in Lorain, west of Cleveland.

The Lorain fire official says the three workers were investigating a water leak this morning around the plant’s new blast furnace when a piece of scrap metal fell into the furnace and was ejected.

One of the workers was hit in the head by the metal and was flown to a Cleveland hospital. The other two workers were hospitalized for burns.

Messages left with Republic Steel officials were not returned today.

Republic Steel in April agreed to pay $2.4 million for safety and health violations at four plants, including the one in Lorain, brought by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.