An explosion in a coke battery Wednesday morning rocked U.S. Steel's Clairton Works, sending 17 people to hospitals, a thick black cloud of smoke skyward and inspectors scrambling for clues to the cause.
The explosion injured 14 U.S. Steel employees and six contractors. A dozen workers remained hospitalized last night with severe injuries. One suffered burns on nearly a third of his body, and several were hooked to breathing machines because flames and smoke had damaged their airways. Three workers received on-site treatment, the company said.
"It was a big boom, and then everything just went black," said John Chappell, 59, of Clairton, a janitor covered in soot who said he was leaving a lunchroom in the plant when the explosion happened. Doctors at UPMC Mercy, Uptown, examined and released him. A doorway reinforced by bricks likely protected him, he said.
"It was pitch black, but you could tell there was debris flying all over the place," said Chappell. "I'm just blessed because I know it could have been worse."
The 9:37 a.m. blast bent steel beams and blew out block walls, sending debris 100 yards toward the Monongahela River from the sprawling plant, which produces 4.7 million tons of coke annually and employs almost 1,100 people.
"It's just a miracle nobody was killed," said Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Robert Full. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took charge of the investigation, he said.
Leni Forston, a spokeswoman for the OSHA regional office in Philadelphia, said the agency would release findings within six months.
Fire burned in a gas line until about 3 p.m. Crews filled the line with nitrogen and steam as they slowly shut off a valve, Full said.
U.S. Steel officials were assessing damage, company spokeswoman Erin M. DiPietro said. The coke battery where the explosion occurred remained idle last night, but the rest of the plant operated normally, she said.
"Our thoughts are with the individuals who were injured, as well as their families," DiPietro said.
Amanda Doyle of Baldwin arrived at UPMC Mercy in time to see an ambulance bring her father, Richard Doyle, 46, a steamfitter at the plant for 23 years. She didn't recognize him at first.
"He was completely black from the waist up," said Doyle, 21. "His hair was burned off."
When he saw his daughter, Doyle shouted from his stretcher: "Hey, Mimi!"
Of six patients taken to UPMC Mercy, one remained in critical condition, badly burned and breathing with the help of a machine. Four others were in serious condition, with third- to second-degree burns, and one was released, said Dr. Alain Corcos, medical director for the trauma and burn centers.
Paramedics took three men to the burn unit at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield. Two remained in critical condition and one in serious condition last evening, said Larry M. Jones, the burn center's medical director. Their injuries did not appear life-threatening, but their burned hands would require occupational rehabilitation, he said.
"Our goal is to return them to the jobs they had and have them be productive members of society," Jones said.
Jefferson Regional Medical Center treated four people, said spokeswoman Candy Williams. The hospital admitted one worker who experienced chest pains while assisting others; it treated two workers from a nearby office for dust inhalation and one person for minor facial burns.
Three workers taken to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland remained in serious condition, and one worker was in fair condition at UPMC McKeesport, all with unspecified injuries. Authorities used the McKeesport hospital as a decontamination center for workers, said UPMC spokeswoman Gloria Kreps.
An explosion at the plant in September 2009 killed a man working as a contractor in the byproducts area of the coke batteries.
A spokeswoman at United Steelworkers' District 10 office, which represents Pennsylvania, said yesterday's explosion happened in B Battery, an area with 75 ovens. It is the mill's largest battery. A worker at the Steelworkers' Local 1557 union hall in Clairton said the plant has nine active batteries.
Coke, or coal purified by baking at 2,100 degrees, fuels blast furnaces to make steel.
Michael Wright, director of health, safety and environment with the union, said gases created in ovens during the coking process present the most serious explosion hazard. Flammable gas released by coal when it's coked helps runs the ovens, but a major release of coke-oven gas from battery piping can spark an explosion.
Berle Denny, one of the county Health Department's two coke oven inspectors, was in a work trailer about a quarter-mile from B Battery when the explosion occurred. Denny spends much of his time at the plant -- the result of federal regulations requiring the department to inspect daily because the coke works is one of the county's largest sources of air pollution, said Jim Thompson, the department's air quality program manager.
"He said it sounded almost like someone fired a cannon," Thompson said. "The trailer rattled."
A black cloud created by the blast quickly dissipated, and nearby air monitors showed typical readings, he said.
The emissions would have no long-lasting health or environmental effects in the Liberty-Clairton area, said Health Department Director Bruce W. Dixon.
Photo Galleries
Clairton Works Plant Explosion
Emergency responders stage outside the Clairton Works Plant in Clairton after an explosion injured at least 15 workers, Wednesday, July 14, 2010.
Map of location
A map of U.S. Steel's Clairton Works facility is located here .
Additional Information:About Clairton Works
Description: Produces coke, an essential element in making steel, by baking coal at about 2,100 degrees to remove impurities
Location: About 20 miles south of Pittsburgh on west bank of Monongahela River in Clairton.
Work force: 1,081 employed; nation's largest coke manufacturing plant.
History: U.S. Steel acquired plant in 1904 and produced steel there until 1984.
Clients: The Clairton Works sends coke to U.S. Steel finishing facilities and sells some to other steelmakers such as ArcelorMittal, said Charles Bradford, industry analyst for Affiliated Research Group LLC in New York City.
Recent accidents: One contractor was killed and one injured in an explosion in September 2009; one man was injured while working in July 2009.
Citations: Since 1972, records show the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued five citations and, in November 1989, fined the plant $527,000 for trapdoor openings without covers, deteriorating pipes, tripping hazards caused by uncovered wires and wastewater receptacles without watertight covers. Two of the OSHA citations, in October 2002, were for safety violations; two in September 2005 cited serious safety violations; one in February 2006 was a health violation. The Allegheny County Health Department cited the plant in February 2006 for exceeding smoke and particle emission limits.
