Emergency crews were called to the sinter plant at BlueScope about 5.30pm to find the chute was burning.

Employees near the fire site were evacuated.

Four fire crews attended the scene and a 100-metre exclusion zone was set up around the chute stack.

The chute, which was surrounded by a metal framework, was well alight and had partially collapsed by 6pm.

‘‘Being fibreglass, it burnt very quickly,’’ said Fire and Rescue NSW Wollongong Inspector Greg Houston.

He said the chute was still smouldering well over an hour later so fire crews wearing breathing apparatus covered it with a foam solution to extinguish the flames and stop fibreglass fibres from going airborne.

Parts of the stack remained attached to the supporting steel framework and continued to burn.

Insp Houston said fire crews also poured water onto the framework.

‘‘Our concern was, with the intensity of the heat from the fire, that it may have affected the integrity of the structure,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s now regained its integrity as its cooled and it’s no longer under threat.’’

Crews also ringed nearby stores of bulk ammonia and activated charcoal to ensure they didn’t ignite.

BlueScope engineers also turned on inert gas to stop the fire from spreading internally to other parts of the plant.

The fire attracted many onlookers who parked along the side of the road and got out to take photos, despite the heavy smoke and a smell like burning rubber or plastic hanging over the area.

By 7.30pm, winds had blown the smoke towards the city, with Wollongong residents complaining of a burning plastic smell.

Ambulance crews were also at the site, at the corner of the steelworks bordered by Old Port Road and Stockpile Road.

No-one was injured in the incident, the cause of the which was being investigated.

It is not known at this stage whether the fire will cause any delays in the steelworks’ operations.

Source: Illawarra Mercury