(Reuters) -An explosion at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh injured multiple people on Monday, and fire crews could be seen battling flames as heavy smoke rose from the facility, according to CBS News and other local news reports.
Dozens of injuries were reported after the explosion at the U.S. Clairton Coke Works plant, which is owned by U.S. Steel, a subsidiary of Nippon Steel, ABC’s WTAE affiliate in Pittsburgh said, without citing sources. The extent of the injuries was not known, it said.
Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi told Reuters in a phone interview from the site on Monday that he believed almost a dozen people had suffered severe injuries in the blast.
“I don’t know if people are trapped,” Lattanzi said. “There are ambulances and police and news media everywhere. It’s a horrible day for Clairton. We’re praying for everyone involved. We’re just praying this isn’t as bad as it looks.”
Lattanzi told Reuters he had heard one person was missing.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro posted on X that his administration was in touch with local officials in Clairton as they responded to the explosion.
“The scene is still active, and folks nearby should follow the direction of local authorities,” he wrote, asking readers to join him in prayer for the Clairton community.
An official told CNN that some people were trapped under the rubble, and emergency crews were working to reach them. There were no confirmed fatalities, said Abigail Gardner, director of communications for Allegheny County, according to CNN.
The Clairton Coke Works, located on the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, is the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States. Coke is produced by heating coal at high temperatures. It is used in blast furnaces as part of the process of making steel.
Clairton Plant operates 10 coke oven batteries and produces approximately 4.3 million tons of coke annually. The facility serves customers in the commercial coke market as well as U. S. Steel’s steelmaking facilities.
In June, Nippon Steel, Japan’s biggest steelmaker, closed its $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel after an 18-month struggle to obtain U.S. government approval for the deal, which faced scrutiny due to national security concerns.
(Reporting by Rich McKay and Julia Harte)
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