Clairton, PA – Two people are now confirmed dead following multiple explosions at the US Steel Clairton Coke plant yesterday.
Allegheny police reported a second fatality, the deployment of approximately 14 fire departments and more than 20 emergency service agencies at last night’s press conference. 10 people were treated for injuries, with five now in stable condition.
Matthew J. Brown, Chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services, said the incident has shifted from an active rescue effort to recovery and investigation. “The rescue efforts and expediting workers to local hospitals has been all of our efforts up to this point,” Brown said. “Now we can start the investigation. We have no further updates as to what caused the explosion.”
The explosions occurred inside the reversing room between coke oven batteries 13 and 14. Coke, a key ingredient in steelmaking, is created by baking coal in superheated ovens. The Clairton plant is reported to produce more than 4 million tons of coke annually.
The US Steel Clairton plant had fire and battery issues back in February that injured two workers and multiple Clean Air Act violations. This resulted in multiple fines from the Allegheny County Health Department.
Officials have not released the names of the victims. Investigators from multiple agencies are expected to remain on site for several days.
