CLAIRTON, Pa. (WHTM) – An explosion 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 explosion sent black smoke spiralling into the midday sky in the Monongahela Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for over a century. An Allegheny County emergency services spokesperson, Kasey Reigner, said one person died in the explosion and two were believed to be unaccounted for. Multiple other people were treated for injuries, Reigner said.
FILE – Part of the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works is seen May 2, 2019, in Clairton, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
This image provided by Amy Sowers shows smoke from the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Clairton, Pa. (Amy Sowers via AP)
FILE – A view of the United States Steel Mon Valley Works Clairton Plant, in Clairton, Pennsylvania, October 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant started around 10:51 a.m. The explosion sent a shock through the community and led to officials asking residents to stay away from the scene so emergency workers could respond.
Dozens were injured, and the county was sending 15 ambulances, on top of the ambulances supplied by local emergency response agencies, Reigner said.
The Clairton Coke Works, 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.
The plant converts coal to coke, a key component in the steel-making process. According to the company, it produces 4.3 million tons (3.9 million metric tons) of coke annually and has approximately 1,400 workers.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency were “in touch with first responders and have offered all assistance.”
“Please join Lori and me in praying for the Clairton community,” the governor posted on social media, referring to his wife.
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U.S. Sen. 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.”
He said he was monitoring the explosion. “Keeping those injured and all who are impacted in my thoughts right now,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis shared that he knows people who work at the plant and that he and his wife “are praying for the workers and their families.”
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.
In February, a problem 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 recent years, the Clairton plant has been dogged by concerns about pollution. In 2019, it agreed to settle a 2017 lawsuit for $8.5 million. Under the settlement, the company agreed to spend $6.5 million to reduce soot emissions and noxious odors from the Clairton coke-making facility, on the Monongahela River about 20 miles south of Pittsburgh.
The company also faced other lawsuits over pollution from the Clairton facility, including ones accusing the company of violating clean air laws after a December 2018 fire damaged the Clairton facility’s sulfur pollution controls.
Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi said his heart goes 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 Associated Press contributed to this report.
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