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CTV News
36 minutes ago
- CTV News
Officials are still investigating the cause of a Pennsylvania steel plant explosion that killed 2
A portion of the Clairton Coke Works, a U.S. Steel plant, is seen Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Clairton, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar 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.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Winnipeg balances public trees removed, planted in 2024 — but long journey to grow canopy still ahead
The number of trees lost in Winnipeg's public areas last year was offset by almost the same number of new ones planted — meeting a target foresters say is relevant but only a starting point on a long road ahead to grow a canopy facing significant threats. Winnipeg's tree cover has shrunk year after year over the last decade. Between 2014 and 2024, 59,576 trees were removed from parks and boulevards while only 31,557 new ones were planted on public land, according to city data. The net loss of 28,000 public trees in the last 10 years has left the canopy in shortfall. Last year marked a notable slowdown of losses however, with all but 24 trees removed from public spaces being replaced by new ones. "It's a great milestone," said Christian Cassidy, the executive director for Trees Winnipeg. "But it's just a milestone on a larger journey." Invasive pests, climate change and spurring urban development have chipped away at the city's overall tree canopy for decades. Those challenges are expected to continue, with an "unprecedented strain" expected in coming years, barring significant changes to how Winnipeg manages its urban forests, including planting many more trees than are removed, according to Winnipeg's urban forest strategy. "That milestone we reached needs to become the bare minimum, the floor, so that from now on the worst case scenario is ever going to be to replace every tree that was removed," Cassidy said. Winnipeg has been working over the years with nurseries to diversify the tree-types in the canopy and narrow the gap between public tree removals and replacements, said Martha Barwinsky, the city's forester. Hiking overtime in the forestry department last year helped refurbish Winnipeg's reforestation and planting program with the resources needed to meet demand and replace almost all removed trees, Barwinsky said. But she acknowledged more needs to happen in the coming years to reduce the number of removals from public property and maintain the city's planting level — so there's gains when it comes to trees on public land and not just replacements. "We are looking to reach a 24 per cent tree canopy cover [in Winnipeg] by 2065," Barwinsky said. "We can't just do it by a one-to-one tree replacement." The goal for canopy cover has been framed by the city's as ambitious. To reach it it will require replacement of all removed trees and a net gain of 760,000 trees by 2065, or 17,000 each year for the next four decades. A need for over-planting, preservation But it isn't just a numbers game. With a higher population of elm and ash trees at the mercy of deadly pests circulating in Winnipeg, it's very important to plant at a faster pace in the city, said Sara Barron, the urban forestry leadership program director at the University of British Columbia. Reestablishing the city's tree cover also becomes more challenging when Winnipeg is losing a larger number of mature trees. "It's going to take 30 to 50 years to replace that single tree canopy with newly-planted trees," Barron said. "As we look at densification, we're actually losing huge portions of the private canopy as well," she said. "Over-planting, if there's sufficient resources, makes a lot of sense." There are also concerns about lack of measures to preserve existing healthy trees. Without a bylaw outright restricting landowners from removing trees on their properties, construction projects aren't required to build around existing ones, Cassidy of Trees Winnipeg said. "New housing, replacing older housing, streets being widened, that creates a big loss for trees," he said. "If you're taking down a 100-year-old tree, how do you replace that?" Barwinsky said reaching the goal of 24 per cent canopy cover in the next four decades will also only be possible if the city works to maintain existing trees. "Tree preservation really has a big role in growing that canopy," she said. "It gives us time to replant … so that the losses aren't as great," she said. 'This isn't just a public issue' One of the biggest challenges for the city comes by way of the limited space available left to grow trees on public land. Barwinsky said larger parks and boulevards make up about 10 per cent of the canopy. The rest is or could be on residential and commercial properties susceptible to development. "That is beyond our jurisdiction," Barwinsky said. "However, there's lots of space to plant trees in front yards … but that requires a whole other program and project and resources and support." Winnipeg currently provides funding for groups to plant trees only on public property. Barwinsky said other alternatives could be offered to target private-property planting but Winnipeg needs to first map out where eligible land is and account for the expense of taking care of the trees. "There's this significant investment at the beginning, that's why we need to do it right and make sure we're … getting them established well," Barwinsky said. Failing to allocate enough resources for watering and pruning, or not assessing land well enough to ensure sufficient soil volume might lead to the failure of planting campaigns and a large number of tree deaths, said UBC's Barron. "We need to do a better job … valuing the private tree canopy in a way that incentivizes homeowners to plant and maintain large trees," she said. "It isn't just a public issue." Rebates of up to $300 for planting trees on residential property are currently offered in Brandon. Applicants qualify only if they avoid planting them on city property. Trees Winnipeg said that incentive could be implemented in Winnipeg, along with supplying seedlings to increase the canopy in private property. But Cassidy argues Winnipeg needs to ensure the support goes first to people who can't afford planting. Involving community groups like churches or centres might help, he said. "The city's not going to tree-plant us out of this problem," he said. "It's going to be the private land owners that are going to make the biggest difference." Winnipeg narrows gap between trees removed and planted in 2024 4 minutes ago Over the last decade, the difference between trees removed and planted meant Winnipeg's public canopy lost 28,019 trees overall. The city's forester says efforts to plant on private property and preserve healthy trees will be key to helping Winnipeg to reach a 24 per cent canopy cover by 2065.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Winnipeg narrows gap between trees removed and planted in 2024
Over the last decade, the difference between trees removed and planted meant Winnipeg's public canopy lost 28,019 trees overall. The city's forester says efforts to plant on private property and preserve healthy trees will be key to helping Winnipeg to reach a 24 per cent canopy cover by 2065.
