Topline
People are reportedly trapped under rubble at a U.S. Steel plant outside of Pittsburgh after an explosion Monday that drew first responders to battle flames and heavy smoke at the facility, multiple news outlets reported.
Dozens of people were reportedly injured following an explosion at the U.S. Clairton Coke Works plant in Clariton, Pennsylvania, just after 11 a.m. EDT on Monday.
Rescue operations are underway for those trapped, and there is at least one person unaccounted for, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said on X.
At least nine people were taken to local hospitals.
Officials from the Allegheny County Health Department are advising residents within one mile of the explosion to stay inside and keep windows closed as they monitor air quality.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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KDKA-TV, the local CBS affiliate, reported the explosion happened in the "reversing room" of the 13/15 battery, which acts as a mechanical regulator ensuring coal bakes evenly in an oven. In steel production, coal is "baked" in a process called coking to produce coke, a key ingredient for blast furnaces that reduces iron ore and provides heat for steelmaking. The Clairton Coke Works is the largest coking operation in North America and employs thousands of people.
"The mill is such a big part of Clairton,” Clairton Mayor Richard Lattanzi told KDKA-TV. “For anyone that works, how old or young you are, you have to work every day, you need to go home healthy, and some people are not going to see the same husband or son or somebody that's working the mill. It's just a sad day for Clairton.”