No injuries reported from explosions at Arizona copper mine
An industrial accident at the Freeport-McMoRan smelter led to several large explosions at a Freeport-McMoRan copper mine in Miami, AZ mine, investigating authorities said.
Tri-Cities Fire Chief A.J. Howell told AZCentral.com that molten copper came in contact with some water to cause the explosions.
There were no injuries, but the smelter operation sustained some damage, Howell said.
Reports of the explosions came from Miami, neighboring Globe and nearby Claypool, AZ.
Claypool resident Marvin Tona said black smoke could be seen coming from the smelter.
Tona said he felt his house shutter and then heard the explosion. He said he saw an orange light from the mine area when he went outside.
He said there were multiple explosions coming from the mine property.
Freeport-McMoRan is one of the world's largest mining corporations. They are headquartered in Phoenix.