TRENTON, Mich. - Two 120-foot-tall towers have been demolished at a former steel factory downriver of Detroit.
The structures were toppled Tuesday at the old McLouth Steel Mill site in Trenton, according to MSC Land which acquired the site in 2018.
Called "stoves," the towers provided heat to the mill’s blast furnaces when it was in operation, MSC Land said.
The Environmental Protection Agency named the property a Superfund site. The plant property takes up about 180 acres (72 hectares) along the Detroit River and is about 24 miles (38 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. It once employed thousands of people and operated from about 1950 until 1995.
MSC Land has invested more than $20 million in the project. It has demolished other structures at the site and also is performing some environmental cleanup.
"From the day we acquired this site, we knew it would be a tremendous undertaking and require a significant investment, but we were committed to getting this work done and doing it right," said Matthew Moroun, owner of MSC Holdings Co.
Cleanup involves removing debris and taking it to an approved landfill, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
A final site inspection is planned, the agency said.
Wayne County’s treasurer took possession in 2017 of the property after the former owner failed to pay more than $3 million in taxes.