00:00 Emergency crews were called to Blue Scopes Port Kembler Steelworks just before 11 o'clock
00:06 this morning.
00:07 It's a heavy industrial site just on the outskirts of Wollongong CBD.
00:11 There had been reports of a fire and an explosion.
00:14 It's understood a contractor, a man believed to be aged in his 40s, was working near the
00:19 Hot Mills plant which is sort of deep within the site here.
00:23 He was opening a cylinder of acetylene, which we understand is a fuel that's commonly used
00:28 somewhere in the steel making process.
00:30 As he opened the cylinder a fire was started.
00:33 It ignited another fire in a cylinder just nearby in a bank of six.
00:37 He was treated at the scene by his colleagues on site and emergency crews were summoned
00:42 to the area.
00:43 Fire and Rescue responded about 10 trucks to the scene with 40 firefighters on the site.
00:48 They were working to cool the containers down.
00:52 Basically the gas is burnt out here and they're just monitoring the site at the moment.
00:56 About 10 to 15 workers were excluded from the immediate vicinity of the fire.
01:01 A bigger exclusion area of about 25 workers were also asked to leave the scene.
01:06 Now the man himself has been taken to Wollongong Hospital.
01:09 Blue Scope Steel says he suffered superficial grazing to his knuckles and burns to his knuckles
01:15 and a graze as well.
01:17 We understand there will be an investigation into the cause of the incident and fire crews
01:21 say they will remain at the scene for some time to monitor the cylinders.
01:26 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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