BHP’s Spence copper mine in Chile partially closed following fire

Image from Jon Beard on Flickr

SANTIAGO, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Global miner BHP Billiton Ltd said on Thursday that a fire at its Spence copper mine in Chile had forced it to partially shut down operations.

No one was injured in the fire, which has since been extinguished, the company said.

“Operations in the area were stopped immediately and we undertook the safeguards and procedures necessary to protect our workers,” a company representative told Reuters.

Spence produced 198,600 tonnes of copper in 2017.

(Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)