St. Paul firefighters battle Gerdau steel plant fire for 15 hours; flames 70 feet high

Nov. 30--St. Paul firefighters spent much of Friday night and Saturday putting out a fire at the Gerdau Ameristeel plant at 1678 Red Rock Road.

According to a post by the St. Paul Fire Department, the fire had 70-foot flames and could be seen for miles. No injuries were reported.

The fire was contained to a debris pile outside of the plant and that did not spread to the plant building, a department spokesman said.

Fire suppression was complicated by sleet and snow that fell on the metro through the night and all day Saturday.

Firefighters have been on scene since 12:30 AM at a large fire in a commercial area on the 1600 block of Red Rock Road in Saint Paul. The fire had 70' flames and could be seen for miles. No injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation. pic.twitter.com/OytHhkneSA

-- Saint Paul Fire Dept (@StPaulFireDept) November 30, 2019

No cause has been identified and the fire remains under investigation, the department said.

Vice President Mike Pence visited the steel mill in May to tout the United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal, known as USMCA, that would replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement.

Gerdau is a global steel company with a large presence in North America. It has 10 mills in the U.S., three in Canada and some joint venture operations in Mexico.

The Brazil-based company had struggled and in 2013 laid off about 30 steelworkers from its St. Paul plant but has rebounded in recent years.

USMCA was signed by President Donald Trump, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Nov. 30, 2018. Each country's legislature still must ratify the agreement.

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