BEAUMONT, Texas — On the night of Saturday, September 17, 2022, residents throughout the city of Beaumont heard what some described as an, "explosion."
Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary told 12News the department received multiple calls from the North End to the South End. Police followed up on the calls, but no one knew a specific location from where the sound came from and no one reported seeing a, "fireball or explosion."
The sound came from the Optimus Steel mill in Orange County, according to an Optimus Steel release.
The mill had a production batch, known as a heat, produce a loud bang in its electric furnace, according to the release. The cause was due to water in the raw materials going to vapor as they were put in the furnace.
"While not a frequent occurrence, this is something that can occur from time to time in the steelmaking process," an Optimus Steel representative said.
Shipments to customers were not impacted, and no injuries were reported.
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From an Optimus Steel release:
On the evening of September 17th, 2022, the Optimus Steel mill in Orange County, TX had a production batch, known as a heat, produce a loud bang in its electric furnace. This was due to water in the raw materials going to vapor as they were put in the furnace. While not a frequent occurrence, this is something that can occur from time to time in the steelmaking process. Shipments to customers were not impacted.