PITTSBURGH — Multiple explosions rocked the U.S. Steel plant in Clairton, 15 miles south of Pittsburgh, Aug. 11, killing two workers and sending 10 others to area hospitals. As of press time, five remain in critical condition. The blasts were heard miles away and released clouds of noxious smoke and fumes into the atmosphere.
A press conference described by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as “tightly controlled” shed little light on the nature or cause of the explosion. Even though Scott Buckiso, a vice president and chief manufacturing officer for U.S. Steel, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and other area executives spoke, “Questions from the media about the possible cause or origin of the blasts went unanswered, as did requests for information about the dead and injured.”
The United Steelworkers union released a brief statement saying it “will work to ensure a thorough investigation.”
The 100-year-old mill, now a subsidiary of Nippon Steel, converts coal into coke, which is used in making steel in ovens of 1,800 degrees. It is one of the largest coke mills in the world, employing some 1,400 workers.
The mill has seen numerous accidents and fatalities over the years, most recently this February when a fire sent two workers to the hospital.
Many area residents heard and felt the explosions and worried about what it meant. Amy Sowers, who grew up in Clairton, told the media, “Lives were lost again, how many more lives are going to have to be lost until something happens?”