Two people were killed and 10 others injured after an explosion tore through the US Steel Clairton Coke Works plant near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Monday. The second victim, a worker at the facility, was confirmed dead by local officials on Tuesday.
County officials said the incident left several workers trapped under rubble, prompting an extensive rescue effort. Five of the injured remain in critical but stable condition, while the other five have been treated and released.
One of the victims has been identified as 39-year-old Timothy Quinn, a father of three from Fitz Henry in Westmoreland County, according to his family.
President and CEO David B. Burritt of its plant owner, US Steel, promised a full investigation, stressing that the company’s commitment to worker safety “has never been more important.”
Governor Josh Shapiro said his administration is working closely with local authorities on the response.
President and CEO David B. Burritt of its plant owner, US Steel, promised a full investigation, stressing that the company’s commitment to worker safety “has never been more important.”
Burritt added that while the plant is now stable, the cause of the blast remains under investigation.
The Clairton facility, the largest coking operation in North America, employs about 1,300 people and plays a central role in US Steel’s Pennsylvania operations.
The facility has a long history of environmental violations. Just last year, US Steel was fined nearly $2 million by the Allegheny County Health Department over equipment and processing issues with its coking ovens.
In 2023, US Steel was also fined $2.2 million by the ACHD for violating Pennsylvania’s limits on hydrogen sulfide emissions from the Clairton plant. They were also required to give officials a plan to bring their emissions under the state’s limits. Health inspectors in Pennsylvania also penalized US Steel $4.7 million in 2022 after discovering that the facility was operating without a pollution control device.