CLAIRTON, Pa. (AP) \u2014 For Don Furko, Aug. 11, 2025, was a normal shift. Until it became the shift he would never forget.<\/p>\n
At 10:47 a.m., U.S. Steel\u2019s Clairton Coke Works outside Pittsburgh \u2014 a sprawling riverside industrial facility and the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere \u2014 erupted in an ear-piercing boom.<\/p>\n
A steelworker for 25 years and former Clairton local union president, Furko pulled on flame-retardant jacket and pants, a hard hat and safety glasses, left his post and rushed to the black plume of smoke rising from the facility\u2019s batteries \u2014 the massive arrangements of industrial ovens that heat coal to some 2,000 degrees, turning it into carbon-rich coke.<\/p>\n
Near the wharf, Renee Hough, a utility technician in charge of loading coke, sat in the cab of the plant\u2019s screening station when the explosion ripped through the air, blinding her in black dust. \u201cMy first thought was I was dead,\u201d Hough recalls. Flames emerged as the dust settled, and a voice crackled through the radio: Battery 13 had just exploded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t even explain how mangled everything was,\u201d Furko recalls. \u201cThere were flames everywhere.\u201d Workers shuttled the injured to the helipad for evacuation. Through the chaos, Furko heard a fellow steelworker screaming, buried beneath the rubble.<\/p>\n
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This story is a collaboration between Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source and The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
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The blast killed two U.S. Steel workers and injured 11 others, including contractors, according to the Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency investigating the incident.<\/p>\n
Six months later, workers remain rattled and community concerns about air pollution from the plant are heightened.<\/p>\n
The blast comes on top of a string of other accidents at the Clairton plant over time as well as a long history of legal battles between U.S. Steel and Allegheny County regulators, who regularly accuse the company of flouting environmental rules at the facility. As recently as Jan. 27, pollution control equipment at the Clairton plant temporarily broke down and nearby air monitors recorded elevated air pollution, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.<\/p>\n
To U.S. Steel\u2019s critics, the August blast highlighted chronic problems at the facility. And some current and former workers at Clairton Coke Works say poor management and underinvestment have exacerbated air pollution and undermined workplace safety at the plant where operators already have little margin for error, Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source and The Associated Press have found.<\/p>\n
The August explosion also came after Nippon Steel\u2019s $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel<\/a> in June 2025. It\u2019s an open question whether the Japanese steel company will invest significantly in Clairton Coke Works and address issues raised by workers, government officials and environmental watchdogs.<\/p>\n The Chemical Safety Board has said that the August explosion occurred while workers were preparing to replace a damaged valve that was detected in July, as well as other valves. The agency\u2019s investigation continues; it said in December that it has identified \u201cpotentially unmitigated hazards for workers at Clairton Coke Works that warrant immediate attention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey try to say \u2018safety first, safety first,\u2019\u201d said Brian Pavlack, a current worker at Clairton Coke Works. \u201cSafety is not the first priority for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Nippon Steel did not provide a response to written questions. In a written statement responding to detailed questions, U.S. Steel stressed its commitment to safety.<\/p>\n \u201cSafety is our core value and shapes our culture, influences how we lead, and anchors our responsibility to ensure that every employee returns home safely, every single day,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n Dangerous work<\/p>\n The 392-acre Clairton Coke Works opened more than a century ago, 20 miles south of Pittsburgh along the west bank of the Monongahela River. The ovens at the plant heat coal at high temperatures for hours to make coke, a key component in steelmaking. Its ovens produce 3.6 million tons of coke annually, which is shipped to the company\u2019s operations farther up the river at the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock, and to U.S. Steel\u2019s Gary Works in Indiana.<\/p>\n But making coke isn\u2019t a clean process or without risk. The heat removes impurities, producing a flammable byproduct called coke oven gas. Coke oven gas includes hydrogen, methane, nitrogen and carbon monoxide, and some of it is used as fuel to heat the coke ovens. Coke oven gas is explosive due to high hydrogen content, said Fred Rorick, a former operations manager at Bethlehem Steel and steel industry consultant.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a coke works, when you have that, you have to be very, very, very careful,\u201d Rorick said.<\/p>\n According to the Chemical Safety Board, the August explosion happened while workers were closing and opening a gas isolation valve in a basement after pumping water into the valve. U.S. Steel\u2019s written procedure did not mention the use of water and a U.S. Steel supervisor directed workers to pump the water, the agency said. Kurt Barshick, U.S. Steel\u2019s vice president of the Mon Valley Works, said during an October presentation to residents in the wake of the August explosion that workers trapped \u201c3,000 PSI water inside of a valve that\u2019s rated for 50 PSI.\u201d The valve cracked and gas filled the area, Barshick added.<\/p>\n Drew Sahli, the Chemical Safety Board\u2019s investigator in charge, said there was a \u201crelease of coke oven gas\u201d and that the gas \u201ccontacted an ignition source\u201d and exploded. The agency is still investigating how the gas was released, Sahli said.<\/p>\n U.S. Steel said it has \u201cstrengthened several safety protocols\u201d based on its own ongoing investigation, including prohibiting the use of high-pressure water for valve cleaning and reviewing their \u201cManagement of Change program, which assesses proposed changes in procedures and evaluates risk.\u201d<\/p>\n Before the August blast, Clairton Coke Works already had a history of accidents and explosions.<\/p>\n \u2014In 2009, a maintenance worker was killed in a blast.<\/p>\n \u2014In 2010, an explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors.<\/p>\n \u2014In 2014, a worker was burned and died after falling into a trench.<\/p>\n \u2014In February 2025, a problem at a battery led to a \u201cbuildup of combustible material\u201d that ignited, injuring two people, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.<\/p>\n After the 2010 explosion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined U.S. Steel and a subcontractor $175,000 for safety violations. U.S. Steel appealed its citations and fines, which were later reduced to $78,500 under a settlement agreement. U.S. Steel admitted no wrongdoing as part of the settlement.<\/p>\n While there\u2019s \u201ca lot of ways that you can get yourself hurt or killed\u201d at Clairton Coke Works, explosions are the biggest hazard, said Calvin Croftcheck, who previously worked at the plant and served as the United Steelworkers safety coordinator for U.S. Steel.<\/p>\n \u201cSince 2009, there have been three accidents that have resulted in fatalities and that is just not common in today\u2019s age of safety,\u201d said Phillip Kondrot, a workers\u2019 compensation attorney who represents workers injured at Clairton Coke Works. \u201cThat is a dangerous place to work.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have intensive procedures that are currently in place at Clairton and our other facilities, and our employees are charged with following them,\u201d U.S. Steel said. \u201cWe will not respond to comments from for-profit lawyers and stand behind the safety professionals who tirelessly work at U. S. Steel.\u201d<\/p>\n Management questioned<\/p>\n Some current and former workers at the Clairton plant fault U.S. Steel\u2019s management of the aging facility, saying that it has caused a range of operational problems.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of things that have happened there, where they needed something fixed and something went wrong, it was because corporate wouldn\u2019t approve them ordering the parts,\u201d said Jonathan Ledwich, who worked at Clairton Coke Works between 2011 and 2022 trying to prevent emission leaks from the coke ovens. \u201cWe did the best we could with what we had.\u201d<\/p>\n Ledwich points to a fire at the Clairton plant<\/a> on Christmas Eve 2018. It shut down pollution control equipment and led to repeated releases of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, according to a lawsuit filed by environmental groups after the incident. In the wake of the fire, Allegheny County warned residents to limit outdoor activities, with residents saying for weeks afterward that the air smelled like rotten eggs and was hard to breathe.<\/p>\n Ranajit Sahu, an engineer hired by the plaintiffs, wrote in a report filed in the case that he found \u201cno indication\u201d that U.S. Steel \u201chas an effective, comprehensive maintenance program for the Clairton plant.\u201d Sahu also wrote that the 2018 accident, which was precipitated by piping falling due to corrosion, was \u201cpreventable by a robust inspection and preventive maintenance program and by better plant design.\u201d<\/p>\n In a 2024 consent decree settling the lawsuit, U.S. Steel agreed to measures including investing close to $20 million in facility upgrades and permanently idling a battery of coke ovens at the plant. As part of the consent decree, U.S. Steel admitted no liability.<\/p>\n Hough, the utility technician in charge of loading coke, said that the lack of proactive maintenance at Clairton Coke Works makes her feel unsafe at times.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things that need to be repaired that they\u2019re not prioritizing because you can\u2019t stop production,\u201d Hough said of U.S. Steel.<\/p>\n Some current and former plant workers also describe difficulty getting coke oven doors replaced. Ledwich, the former Clairton steel worker, said some doors that needed to be replaced would leak emissions.<\/p>\n In a 2020 deposition for the lawsuit related to the 2018 Christmas Eve fire, James Kelly, former deputy director of the environmental health bureau at the Allegheny County Health Department \u2013 the agency that oversees emissions at the plant \u2013 said the facility is \u201cone of the most decrepit facilities\u201d that he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n The litigation surrounding the Christmas Eve fire wasn\u2019t the first time U.S. Steel was accused in court of skimping on maintenance. In a 2017 amended federal class action lawsuit alleging violations of federal securities laws, U.S. Steel shareholders said that the company CEO hired the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in 2014 after multiple unprofitable years and \u201cimplemented extreme cost-cutting measures\u201d in 2015 involving layoffs and deferrals of \u201cdesperately-needed maintenance and repairs.\u201d The lawsuit was eventually settled and the U.S. Steel defendants admitted no wrongdoing.<\/p>\n U.S. Steel had \u201cone of the best safety staffs in the country,\u201d said Mike Wright, former director of the health, safety, and environment department at the United Steelworkers. But key safety department leaders were fired, according to Wright and Croftcheck, the former union safety coordinator. Wright said the dismissals occurred in 2016.<\/p>\n Ed Mazurkiewicz, former director of safety and industrial hygiene at U.S. Steel, said that he was let go by the company in 2016. While he knew at the time that McKinsey had been \u201cevaluating all of U.S. Steel\u201d and that there would be downsizing, it was still a shock when his job was eliminated, Mazurkiewicz said.<\/p>\n U.S. Steel said it has \u201cworked with many advisers and partners\u201d over the years and that the company\u2019s \u201coverall transformation efforts have improved our company\u2019s performance, created a robust maintenance program, and improved employee safety over time.\u201d In response to questions about U.S. Steel\u2019s safety department and the firing of department leaders, the company said: \u201cWe cannot comment on personnel matters.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey brought in McKinsey to tell them really how to run things,\u201d Wright said of U.S. Steel. \u201cWe were a little outraged by that.\u201d<\/p>\n McKinsey said in a statement that the company is one of \u201cmany advisers that have served U.S. Steel in support of its efforts to keep manufacturing jobs in the United States, improve operational resiliency, and invest in and support the communities in which it operates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs with all our work for the company \u2013 and with all our clients \u2013 safety is always a top priority,\u201d the company added.<\/p>\n Maintenance practices have changed over time, some current and former workers say.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to see a lot more maintenance and taking care of things and fixing things before they broke, or replacing things that were worn out,\u201d said Hough, who has worked at the plant for 29 years. \u201cThat used to happen back when I was first hired there, and that hasn\u2019t happened in the last 10 or so years.\u201d<\/p>\n Battles over air pollution<\/p>\n For years, Clairton Coke Works has drawn the ire of government regulators, environmental advocates and community members concerned about air pollution originating from the plant. Air quality in the region has improved over time, but the Clairton plant has been the largest local source of air pollution \u2013 such as sulfur oxides and particulate matter \u2013 in recent years, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. Particulate matter, for instance, is linked to various health issues, including heart attacks and aggravated asthma. The plant also emits carcinogenic benzene.<\/p>\n While the Clairton plant is allowed to emit some air pollution, county Health Department regulators routinely clash with U.S. Steel over alleged violations of the plant\u2019s operating permit, such as excessive emissions or failing to use pollution control equipment. In 2023, for instance, the Allegheny County Health Department fined U.S. Steel more than $2 million for violations at Clairton Coke Works.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re sort of in this cycle of patching, monitoring, fining, patching, monitoring, fining, and it\u2019s never really good enough,\u201d said Karen Hacker, director of the Allegheny County Health Department between 2013 and 2019. \u201cYou can\u2019t say it hasn\u2019t improved. Just look at the sky in Pittsburgh, right? But it hasn\u2019t removed a source of pollution.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to questions from Public Source and AP, the Allegheny County Health Department said in a written statement that the agency \u201cinspects coking operations daily\u201d and \u201caddresses violations as discovered during inspections\u201d with a full compliance evaluation every two years.<\/p>\n The department also said that air monitoring stations near the Clairton plant \u201chave measured a 15-25% reduction in annual average particle pollution concentrations compared to ten years ago.\u201d The department declined to comment on \u201copen investigations, enforcement orders, or pending litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n Nationally, Clairton Coke Works\u2019 environmental compliance track record is an outlier, according to a Public Source and AP analysis of federal Clean Air Act data from about 14,000 facilities. The analysis found that Clairton Coke Works is classified by the EPA as a \u201chigh-priority violator\u201d \u2013 only about 11% of major emitters fall into that category. It\u2019s even rarer for facilities to garner financial penalties on the magnitude that Clairton Coke Works has faced in the last five years, the analysis shows. Just 11 facilities, including Clairton Coke Works, have faced $10 million in penalties or more in the last five years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a massive facility. It\u2019s a complex facility and it\u2019s an underfunded facility,\u201d said Adam Ortiz, former EPA regional administrator of the Mid-Atlantic region during the Biden administration. \u201cAll those things make it tough.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Steel said in its statement that the company spends \u201c$100 million annually on environmental compliance at Clairton alone and has consistently achieved an environmental compliance rate exceeding 99% for regulated activities per year at our Clairton Plant, the largest cokemaking facility in North America.\u201d<\/p>\n The company said that it has \u201cinvested more than $750 million in environmental improvement projects in the Mon Valley\u201d and that preliminary data shows that a county air monitor located downwind of the Clairton plant has met the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s national ambient air quality standard for particulate matter since 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cOur steadfast pursuit of environmental excellence will continue,\u201d the company said. \u201cWe maintain a productive relationship with the ACHD and other regulators, with a commitment to regulation grounded in science and law.\u201d<\/p>\n Some environmental advocates have argued that the Allegheny County Health Department is outgunned against U.S. Steel. The department\u2019s air quality program, which handles oversight of Clairton Coke Works, is funded by fees paid by industrial polluters. But the program has struggled financially in recent years. In a 2018 report, the EPA asserted that revenue from emissions-based fees was \u201cdiminishing as a result of emissions reductions\u201d and that the existing fee structure could potentially \u201cundermine long-term program sustainability.\u201d The Allegheny County Council approved raising the fees in 2021 and again in November.<\/a><\/p>\n