Two fires in an ore-handling building at Severstal Steel Co. at Sparrows Point on Tuesday afternoon forced the evacuation of several employees and brought nearly two dozen pieces of fire apparatus from several Baltimore County fire stations and the steel plant to the scene, said a Fire Department communications officer. There were no injuries. About 2 p.m., a fire was reported in a screen machine on the third floor and was extinguished in about 30 minutes. A second fire was reported later on the seventh floor and was also quickly extinguished. Firefighters from county stations at Dundalk, Edgemere, Eastview, Wise Avenue and Essex responded. The cause of the fires was being investigated.

- Richard Irwin