UPDATE: Explosions at US Steel plant leave 1 dead and dozens hurt or trapped under rubble

American Press

18 hours ago

Explosions at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh left one dead and dozens injured or trapped under the rubble Monday, with emergency workers on site trying to rescue victims, officials said.
The explosions sent black smoke spiralling into the midday sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century. An Allegheny County emergency services spokesperson, Kasey Reigner, said one person died and two were currently believed to be unaccounted for. Multiple other people were treated for injuries, Reigner said.
Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant started around 10:51 a.m. The explosions sent a shock through the community and led to officials asking residents to stay away from the scene so emergency workers could respond.
'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, and then when we saw the dark smoke coming up from the steel mill and put two and two together, and it's like something bad happened.'
Dozens were injured and the county was sending 15 ambulances, on top of the ambulances supplied by local emergency response agencies, Reigner said. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said via X that 'multiple explosions' occurred at the facility.
Clairton residents like Amy Sowers, 49, felt an explosion nearby. Sowers, who was sitting on her porch located less than a mile from the plant, felt her house shake.
'I could see smoke from my driveway,' she said. 'We heard ambulances and fire trucks from every direction.'
Sowers decided to leave the area after she said she smelled a faint smell in the air. Sowers, who grew up in Clairton, has seen several incidents at the plant over the years. Despite health concerns, Sowers said many residents cannot afford to leave.
A maintenance worker was killed in an explosion at the plant in September 2009. In July 2010, another explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors.
'Lives were lost again,' Sowers said. 'How many more lives are going to have to be lost until something happens?' Air quality concerns and health warnings
The plant, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania that employ several thousand workers.
In a statement, U.S. Steel said an 'incident' occurred at the plant's coke oven batteries 13 and 14. The company, now a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp., said emergency teams were immediately dispatched to the scene, but it gave no other details about the cause of the explosions, casualties or damage.
The company's CEO, David Burritt, said in the statement that U.S. Steel is working with authorities to investigate the cause.
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.
Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi said his heart goes out to the victims of Monday's explosions.
'The mill is such a big part of Clairton,' he said. 'It's just a sad day for Clairton.'
The Allegheny County Health Department said it is monitoring the explosions and advised residents within 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the plant to remain indoors, close all windows and doors, set air conditioning systems to recirculate, and avoid drawing in outside air, such as using exhaust fans. It said its monitors have not detected levels of soot or sulfur dioxide above federal standards.
According to the company, the plant produces 4.3 million tons (3.9 million metric tons) of coke annually and has approximately 1,400 workers.