Tata Steel said its UK subsidiary is assessing the extent of damage and potential operational impact after a fire broke out at the Pickle Line facility at its Port Talbot site in Wales earlier this week, while efforts are underway to resume operations at affected units.
In a clarification to stock exchanges on Friday, Tata Steel said the June 3 fire occurred at the Pickle Line of Tata Steel UK Ltd. (TSUK), its wholly owned foreign subsidiary. The company said there were no injuries and all personnel were safely evacuated after emergency procedures were activated.
Local emergency services assisted in bringing the situation under control and major services were isolated to prevent the fire from spreading further.
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"Tata Steel UK is currently assessing the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage, and any potential financial/operational impact," the company said in its filing, adding that it would pursue insurance claims where appropriate and work to meet customer requirements through alternate assets.
Separately, Tata Steel UK said work has begun on a full assessment of the affected area. The incident temporarily took the Hot Strip Mill offline, with teams targeting a planned restart by the middle of next week. Supply chain teams have activated mitigation measures, including alternative processing through the Llanwern Cold Mill and Pickle Line.
The fire broke out at around 8 p.m. local time on June 3 at one of the site's processing lines. Tata Steel stressed that the incident was unrelated to the safe demolition of an old gas holder conducted earlier the same day.
Labour union Unite said the blaze caused "substantial damage" to a critical production line, although all workers were evacuated safely. "Measures must now be put in place to protect jobs both at Tata and down the supply chain during any period of disruption," Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said, while urging the company and the UK government to restore operations as quickly as possible.
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Authorities advised residents near the steelworks to keep windows and doors closed as large plumes of smoke were visible, although air quality was not believed to have been significantly affected. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Port Talbot facility is undergoing a major transition to lower-carbon steelmaking. Tata Steel halted iron-making operations at the site in October 2024 and is preparing to build a 3.2 million tonne-per-annum electric arc furnace as part of its decarbonisation strategy.
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