Jan 9, 2013 1 min read

JOHNSTOWN (AP) – Workers got out safely and no other injuries have been reported after an electronic furnace used to melt raw materials malfunctioned and caught fire at a Western Pennsylvania plant.

Avinash Gore, president and chief executive officer of North American Hoganas, said the furnace in the Johnstown plant recently had a new liner installed. Workers were melting materials in the furnace to season the liner – which he says can be a sensitive process – when the fire broke out after 6 p.m. Monday.

Workers Tuesday planned to assess the damage and the cause of the fire, the first accident at the plant about 60 miles east of Pittsburgh since 1994. The plant was owned then by SCM Metals Products.

Gore said work will continue at other plant buildings until the fire-damaged structure is repaired.