Japan’s Nippon Steel ceased operations at its Muroran blast furnace in Hokkaido after a fire occurred on December 1.

The incident struck the hot-air stove, a component of the blast furnace, early in the day. While the fire was successfully extinguished, the company is currently uncertain about the timeline for resuming production.

The Muroran mill operates a single blast furnace with a crude steel output capacity of 1.24 million tons per year. This facility is a main supplier of steel products, primarily serving Japanese car manufacturers.