On 21 June 2006, a fire caused by a loose electrical connection during a welding operation resulted in an estimated 10 million dollars’ damage to Tasmania’s Savage River iron ore mine in Northern Tasmania.

Four workers in the area were successfully evacuated without injury. It took firefighters up to six hours to bring the fire under control.

Their efforts were hindered by smoke, exploding acetylene cylinders and the fire spreading through four levels of the 50 m high building.

The fire processing mill and the mine were unable to fully operate for some weeks, impacting 240 employees and 150 contractors.