❓WHAT HAPPENED: An explosion at the U.S. Steel-owned Clairton Coke Works has led to a Level 3 Mass Casualty Incident (Level 3 MCI).
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Clairton Coke Works, U.S. Steel, and Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Monday morning, August 11, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Just a report of an explosion! Asking for multiple ambulances! My prayers go out to anyone involved in this tragedy and their families and community.” — Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi
🎯IMPACT: Coking can be a dangerous industrial process as the gases created are highly volatile and combustible, meaning errant sparks or other ignition sources can result in significant and deadly explosions.
A Level 3 Mass Casualty Incident (Level 3 MCI) has been declared in Pennsylvania following an explosion at the U.S. Steel-owned Clairton Coke Works in the city of the same name on Monday morning. The Level 3 MCI designation signifies an event that overwhelms local resources, requiring additional resources from outside the immediate area or region. It typically involves 20 to 100 patients and may necessitate the activation of an Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
The Clairton Coke Works is a coking plant where coke—a coal-based fuel used in iron smelting and steel forges—and industrial gases are derived from coal. Coking can be a dangerous industrial process as the gases created are highly volatile and combustible, meaning errant sparks or other ignition sources can result in significant and deadly explosions.
According to company data, Clairton was able to produce 4.7 million tons of coke annually in its nine batteries and employs an estimated 1,200 people.
In a post on social media, Clairton Mayor Rich Lattanzi wrote, “Just a report of an explosion! Asking for multiple ambulances! My prayers go out to anyone involved in this tragedy and their families and community.”
BREAKING: Mass casualty incident declared as EMS resources respond to explosion at U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works in Pennsylvania. – WPXI-TV Pittsburgh
Video: Ava Rash/WTAE pic.twitter.com/pTCCAy7x3x
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) August 11, 2025
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