(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Clairton Coke Works, a U.S. Steel coking plant, is seen Monday, Aug 11, 2025, in Clairton, Penn. (AP Photo/Gene Puskar)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Clairton, PA) As Pennsylvania authorities investigate the deadly blast at U-S Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, environmental groups have renewed their concerns about the health and safety of plant workers and the community. The Mon Valley plant employs about 14-hundred workers and is the largest operation of its kind in North America, producing coke for steelmaking. Matthew Mehalik with the Breathe Project says his group’s cameras point directly at the plant and captured the explosion. But their sensor network didn’t detect high pollution levels, because he says the hot gas plume was carried northeast by the wind, dispersing before reaching the city. Mehalik emphasizes the need for continued monitoring and worker safety. Governor Josh Shapiro visited the area on Tuesday to offer condolences and praise emergency responders and government officials. He says U-S Steel is committed to finding the cause and ensuring safety. The company C-E-O has also pledged to cooperate with authorities.