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Explosion at Pennsylvania US Steel plant leaves people trapped under rubble Explosion at Pennsylvania US Steel plant leaves people trapped under rubble
(about 1 hour later)
Emergency workers are on site at the coking facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania, trying to rescue people, officials sayEmergency workers are on site at the coking facility in Clairton, Pennsylvania, trying to rescue people, officials say
An explosion Monday at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania – near Pittsburgh – has left people trapped under the rubble, with emergency workers on site trying to rescue them, an official said.An explosion Monday at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania – near Pittsburgh – has left people trapped under the rubble, with emergency workers on site trying to rescue them, an official said.
There are no confirmed fatalities yet at the Clairton Coke Works, said Abigail Gardner, director of communications for Allegheny county.There are no confirmed fatalities yet at the Clairton Coke Works, said Abigail Gardner, director of communications for Allegheny county.
The Allegheny county emergency services said a fire at the plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania, started at about 10.51am and that it has transported five people. The agency did not provide any more details on those people transported and would only say it was an “active scene”. Gardner told local news station TribLive that “a search-and-rescue operation” was under way.
The Clairton Coke Works, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America. Kasey Reigner, a spokesperson for Allegheny County’s emergency services, said, “We had dozens of walking and wounded. There were some transports.”
The Allegheny county emergency services said a fire at the plant in Clairton, Pennsylvania, started at about 10.51am and that it has transported five people to area hospitals. The agency did not provide any more details on those people transported and would only say it was an “active scene”.
“My Administration is in touch with local officials in Clairton … as they respond to an explosion at US Steel Clairton Coke Works plant [Monday] morning,” Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said in a statement on X. He said Pennsylvania’s emergency management agency and its state police were in “touch with first responders and have offered all assistance”.
Democratic Pennsylvania US senator John Fetterman, who formerly served as the mayor of nearby Braddock, called the explosion “absolutely tragic” and vowed to support steelworkers in the aftermath.“I grieve for these families,” Fetterman said. “I stand with the steelworkers.”
Clairton mayor Richard Lattanzi said his heart went out to the victims of the explosion. “The mill is such a big part of Clairton,” he said. “It’s just a sad day for Clairton.”
The Clairton Coke Works, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River about 20 miles (32km) south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America.
The plant, which is part of US Steel, has been subject to concerns about safety and pollution.
In February, an issue with a battery at the plant led to a “buildup of combustible material” that ignited, causing an audible “boom”, the Allegheny county health department said. Two workers who got material in their eyes received first aid treatment at a local hospital but were not seriously injured.
In 2019, it agreed to settle a 2017 lawsuit for $8.5m. Under the settlement, the company agreed to spend $6.5m to reduce soot emissions and noxious odors from the plant.
In June, US Steel and Nippon Steel announced they had finalized a “historic partnership”. The deal came a year and a half after the Japanese company first proposed its nearly $15bn buyout of the iconic US steelmaker.
The deal was approved with a caveat issued by Donald Trump in a June executive order, in which the president said he “reserved my authority to issue further orders with respect to the purchasers or US Steel as shall in my judgment be necessary to protect the national security of the United States”.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
The Associated Press contributed reporting