An explosion at a U.S. Steel plant in Clairton, Pa., on Monday killed at least one person and injured dozens more, with some still trapped under rubble, the authorities said.
Witnesses described feeling a shock wave and then seeing black smoke spew into the sky. Part of a building appeared to have been sheared off, and rubble littered the area.
Two people are missing, the Allegheny County Police Department said in a statement. Local hospitals said at least nine people were being treated for injuries from the explosion.
“We were on lunch, and we felt an explosion,” said Ronnie Fordyce, who said he works at the plant but was far away from the location where the explosion occurred. “Then we went outside and saw the smoke.”
Few details were available on the extent of the injuries or what caused the explosion near the northern end of the plant, a sprawling facility covering hundreds of acres on the west bank of the Monongahela River southeast of Pittsburgh.
“We’re up to about 15 ambulances,” with outside agencies assisting local fire and police departments, said Kasey Reigner, a spokeswoman for Allegheny County Emergency Services.
Search and rescue teams were at the scene of the explosion, where some people were trapped under the rubble, according to Abigail Gardner, a spokeswoman for Allegheny County. She said some people at the plant had been critically injured while others had minor wounds.
The county’s health department urged people within one mile of the explosion to remain indoors.
Zachary Buday, a construction worker, said he was doing masonry work at a job site in Clairton, less than half a mile away from the plant, when he felt the explosion.
“It was a shock wave,” Mr. Buday said. “It almost took the air out of your chest.”
A spokeswoman for the Allegheny Health Network, which runs several hospitals in the area, said five patients were taken to its hospital closest to the scene and that two other trauma center hospitals received one patient each. Two more patients were taken to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Butch Michaels, who works at Hometown Burgers and Deli next to the plant, said he felt the building shake, and thought at first that it was from a construction site next to the deli. But his manager told him the explosion was too strong for that. “It blew our front door open,” Mr. Michaels said.
Bernie Hall, who leads the United Steelworkers union in Pennsylvania, said in a statement that the union would seek a “thorough investigation” and provide its members with support.
U.S. Steel did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the explosion.
The company’s website says that the plant is the largest coke manufacturing facility in the United States. Coke, made by heating coal, is used in the steel-making process.
The Clairton Plant operates ten coke oven batteries and produces approximately 4.3 million tons of coke annually, according to U.S. Steel’s website.
Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, told reporters on Monday that the explosion “reminds everybody how dangerous of a job it is to make steel here.”
“It’s just absolutely tragic,” he said.
In a statement on social media, Mr. Fetterman added that he and his aides were “tracking this explosion and waiting for more information” and he urged the public to avoid the area.
“Keeping those injured and all who are impacted in my thoughts right now,” he said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said on social media that his administration was in contact with officials in Clairton. The State Police and state emergency management officials had offered assistance, he said.
“The scene is still active, and folks nearby should follow the direction of local authorities,” Mr. Shapiro said.
Billy Witz, Pooja Salhotra and Neil Vigdor contributed reporting. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reports on national stories across the United States with a focus on criminal justice. He is from upstate New York.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
Michael Levenson covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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