Emergency services rush to scene of fire at Tata Steel – live updates

Tata carried out a controlled demolition of a gas holder earlier on Wednesday evening. There is no suggestion that the earlier demolition of the gas holder, which the company said was done safely, is linked to the ongoing incident at the site.

Earlier on Wednesday local residents said their homes “shook” as a result of the demolition of the gas holder. The company apologised for any inconvenience caused.

They said: “People working and living in the Port Talbot area may have just heard a loud noise emanating from the Port Talbot steelworks.

“This was the result of the planned demolition of the empty, redundant coke ovens gas holder, which has been completed safely as part of the ongoing engineering works on the site. The gas holder ceased operation with the closure of the site’s heavy-end in September 2024.

“This demolition was required to make space for future raw materials handling areas for the new three million tonne per year capacity electric arc furnace.

“Our thanks goes to the whole team involved from Tata Steel and our contractor partners Thompson of Prudhoe and PDC, in what was a complex programme of work. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

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