Officials are still investigating the cause of a Pennsylvania steel plant explosion that killed 2
CLAIRTON, Pa. — An explosion rocked a steel plant outside Pittsburgh on Monday, leaving two dead and 10 others injured, including a person who was rescued from the smoldering rubble after hours of being trapped.
The explosion sent black smoke spiraling into the midday sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century.
Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant in Clairton started late Monday morning. Officials said they had not isolated the cause of the blast.
The rumbling from the explosion, and several smaller blasts that followed, jolted the community about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh.
'It felt like thunder,' Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV. 'Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building.'
Investigating the blast's cause
At a news conference, Scott Buckiso, U.S. Steel's chief manufacturing officer, did not give details about the damage or casualties, and said they were still trying to determine what happened. He said the company, now a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp., is working with authorities.
Allegheny Health Network said it treated seven patients from the plant and discharged five within a few hours. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said it is treating three patients at UPMC Mercy, the region's only level one trauma and burn center.
According to the company, the plant has approximately 1,400 workers.
In a statement, the United Steelworkers, which represents many of the Clairton plant's workers, said it had representatives on the ground at the plant and would work to ensure there is a thorough investigation.
David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, an environmental group that has sued U.S. Steel over pollution, said there needed to be 'a full, independent investigation into the causes of this latest catastrophe and a re-evaluation as to whether the Clairton plant is fit to keep operating.'
U.S. Steel CEO David B. Burritt said the company would investigate.
It's not the first explosion at the plant. A maintenance worker was killed in a blast in September 2009. In July 2010, another explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors. According to online OSHA records of workplace fatalities, the last death at the plant was in 2014, when a worker was burned and died after falling into a trench.
After the 2010 explosion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined U.S. Steel and a subcontractor $175,000 for safety violations. U.S. Steel appealed its citations and fines, which were later reduced under a settlement agreement.
In February, a problem with a battery at the plant led to a 'buildup of combustible material' that ignited, causing an audible 'boom,' officials said. Two workers received first aid treatment but were not seriously injured.
Air quality concerns
The plant, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River, is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania.
The plant converts coal to coke, a key component in the steel-making process. To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel. The process creates what's known as coke gas — made up of a lethal mix of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
The county health department initially told residents within 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the plant to remain indoors and close all windows and doors, but lifted the advisory later Monday. It said its monitors didn't detect levels of soot or sulfur dioxide above federal standards.
The U.S. Steel buyout
In June, U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel announced they had finalized a 'historic partnership,' a deal that gives the U.S. government a say in some matters and comes a year and a half after the Japanese company first proposed its nearly $15 billion buyout of the iconic American steelmaker.
The pursuit by Nippon Steel for the Pittsburgh-based company was buffeted by national security concerns and presidential politics in a premier battleground state, dragging out the transaction for more than a year after U.S. Steel shareholders approved it.
___
Marc Levy, Gene Puskar, Michael Casey and Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press
Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Casey reported from Boston and Whittle reported from Portland, Maine. Associated Press reporters Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, Beatrice Dupuy in New York City and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
8 hours ago
- CTV News
Massive rescue effort led to pulling workers from debris of Pennsylvania steel plant explosion
Authorities spent hours searching through the rubble for signs of life after an explosion leveled a Pennsylvania steel mill. ABC News' Stephanie Ramos reports. CLAIRTON, Pa. - Moments after an explosion erupted at a U.S. Steel plant in Pennsylvania, company firefighters, local responders and employees raced in to rescue people from the smoldering wreckage. But word spread that some were trapped in the sprawling facility, and the walls were too unstable to safely bring them out. A crew from Pittsburgh-based Pennsylvania Urban Search & Rescue Strike Team One was called in to assist, said Matthew Brown, chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services. The team was able to stabilize a wall at the plant outside Pittsburgh and used an advanced camera to detect the trapped workers' locations. Crew members pulled away the rubble and freed one worker, who was whisked to a hospital where he remains. A second worker was later found dead. Monday's explosion, which was powerful enough to shake nearby homes, killed two workers and injured more than 10 others. Five people ranging in age from 27 to 74 remained hospitalized Tuesday including the rescued worker, who was in critical but stable condition, according to the Allegheny County Police Department. Three were at UPMC Mercy, the region's only level-one trauma and burn center. The massive plant along the Monongahela River in Clairton converts coal to coke, a key component in the steelmaking process. The facility is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania. To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel. The process creates what's known as coke gas -- a lethal mix of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. U.S. Steel's chief manufacturing officer, Scott Buckiso, said workers were conducting routine operations at the time of the accident. Two loud booms that followed the initial blast were initially thought to be subsequent explosions, but Buckiso said they were from the activation of two relief pressure valves - a safety mechanism that operated as expected. The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, and Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters Tuesday that workers deserve an 'answer for what happened.' 'We owe them the answers to their questions, and we owe them to never forget the sacrifices that occurred here yesterday,' Shapiro said. Before arriving at a news conference, he met with family members of a worker who died. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato told reporters she had assurances from U.S. Steel that it would continue to cooperate fully with investigators. 'We all share a common goal. We want to get to the bottom of what happened, and we want to prevent it from happening ever again,' Innamorato said. Remembering the dead Shapiro also used the news conference to pay tribute to the workers who died. The county medical examiner's office identified one as Timothy Quinn, 39. and the other was not identified, with his family requesting privacy. Shapiro described Quinn as a devoted father of three known to his friends as 'TQ.' He served as a mentor and leader to other workers and was known for cracking jokes. A second-generation steelworker, he followed in his father's footsteps and was a 'mama's boy' who, after working long shifts, would take care of his mother and look after his children and his girlfriend's two children. 'His life was cut too short because of what happened here at this plant,' Shapiro said. 'We have a responsibly to remember his legacy, to make sure his memory lives on. ... We will make sure his children know his dad was a special man, a good man and a man who helped build this community with his hands the way his father did.' CEO David Burritt called it an 'extraordinarily difficult day' for a U.S. Steel family that has 'suffered heartbreaking losses.' According to the company, the plant has approximately 1,400 workers. The company, he said, is working closely with local, state and federal authorities. He would not speculate about the cause of the explosion. 'We will share as much as we can, as soon as we can, and we will take every step necessary to keep our people safe,' Burritt said. Deanna Forkey was working behind the counter at the nearby Hometown Burgers & Deli, which her family owns, when she heard the explosion and the restaurant door popped open. 'When I looked out, all you could see was black smoke,' Forkey said. 'Explosions over there aren't really uncommon. We hear them a lot. But that one obviously was much worse.' She said many plant workers are regulars at the restaurant. 'You start to build a little bit of a relationship,' Forkey said. 'So it kind of pulls a little harder at the heartstrings.' Plant has seen explosions in the past In September 2009, a maintenance worker was killed in a blast. And in July 2010, another explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors. According to online OSHA records of workplace fatalities, the last death at the plant was in 2014, when a worker was burned and died after falling into a trench. After the 2010 explosion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined U.S. Steel and a subcontractor US$175,000 for safety violations. U.S. Steel appealed its citations and fines, which were later reduced under a settlement agreement. A problem with a battery in February led to a 'buildup of combustible material' that ignited, causing an audible boom, officials said. Two plant workers received first aid but were not seriously injured. Richard Lattanzi, who retired from another nearby U.S. Steel plant and is now mayor of Clairton, recalled that the company once sought to ensure that workers 'go home the way they came in.' 'Apparently it's not happening right now, so we've got to get better,' Lattanzi said. 'We have to rally around this plant right now.' Pittsburgh attorney John Gismondi represented the widow of the worker who was killed in the 2009 explosion and three men who were badly burned in the 2010 blast. In a phone interview Tuesday, Gismondi said his immediate thought the previous day was, 'Oh my God, not again at Clairton.' Both lawsuits were settled out of court for 'significant' amounts, he said. 'There's a lot of gas on the premises. That's fine, it's part and parcel of what they do,' he said. 'But gas is a dangerous substance, and you need to make sure safety protocols are being followed.' Marc Levy, Gene Puskar, Michael Casey and Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Casey from Boston. Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, Beatrice Dupuy in New York and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.
CTV News
9 hours ago
- CTV News
35 Union Pacific train cars derail near Texas town, no injuries reported
In this image from video by WFAA, train cars are piled up off the track after a derailment near Gordon, Texas, on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (WFAA via AP) GORDON, Texas — Thirty-five cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Tuesday afternoon near a small Texas town, officials said. No injuries were reported and no evacuations have been ordered following the afternoon derailment, Union Pacific spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said. News footage showed multiple train cars piled on top of one another on the railroad track located in a rural area. A grass fire and smoke could be seen beside the derailment site. The emergency services district said the derailment was being treated as a hazardous material situation. But it was not immediately known what the derailed train cars were carrying. The derailment occurred around 2 p.m. just east of the town of Gordon, Tysver said. Gordon is located about 65 miles (105 kilometres) southwest of Fort Worth. None of the railroad cars were leaking their contents, according to a post on social media by the Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District 1. 'All personnel have been accounted for, and no injuries have been reported. The situation is currently stable, but not yet fully controlled,' the emergency services district said in a statement. Some small grass fires were reported following the derailment. 'Fire officials are actively working to contain and extinguish them, and no structures are currently threatened,' the statement added. The Palo Pinto Fire Department was working to contain a grass fire, Tysver said. 'Union Pacific crews are en route,' Tysver added.
CBC
11 hours ago
- CBC
‘It's very sad to have to look back and see you have nothing left,' says C.B.N. resident
As the Kingston fire continues to burn out of control in Conception Bay North, residents are left wondering if they will have homes to return to. The CBC's Julia Israel speaks with residents near the largest out-of-control fire in the province.
