CLAIRTON, Pa. — It’s been three months since a massive explosion rocked US Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant.
The blast that happened while crews were flushing a gas valve in preparation for planned maintenance killed two workers and injured 10 others.
On the day of the explosion, 14 fire departments and 20 EMS agencies rushed to the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works.
“It was 95 degrees,” said Dr. Ben Miller. “It was humid. It was starting to become clear just how big of an incident this was.”
Medical helicopters took flight to prevent more deaths and transported medical supplies from area hospitals to Clairton. In less than five minutes, these choppers got three critically injured steelworkers to UPMC Mercy Hospital for life-saving care.
“This is the kind of thing that people in EMS train for and then hope to never have to use that training,” Miller said.
Dr. Jay Zhang and Dr. Ben Miller work as UPMC EMS Physicians. Typically, they respond to life-threatening or complex calls to help paramedics and EMTs.
“We’re really there for the sickest of the sick patients,” Miller said.
At least once a month, they fly in the medical choppers. On the day of the explosion, though, they provided on-the-ground medical care at the Clairton plant out of their response vehicle.
“The first thing that you have to do when you arrive on a scene like this is take your own pulse before you can evaluate anybody else,” Miller said.
Dr. Miller says injuries ranged from minor scrapes and bruises to major trauma, including burns.
“In addition to treating the critically injured patients, one of our major roles was making sure that the responders were safe,” Zhang said.
After the initial response, they turned their attention to the firefighters.
“The firefighters were wearing, you know, 60-plus pounds of equipment battling these fires and the heat,” Miller said.
While the weight of that August day took time to sink in.
“It took a couple of days to really get the scale of how many people were affected in that community and the long-lasting impacts that has on them,” Zhang said.
“It was basically every single agency in that region had boots on the ground, and we were just one small part of that,” Miller said.
The lessons learned from it will never be forgotten and will be used for whatever’s to come.
Here is the full statement from US Steel issued earlier on Tuesday:
“Today marks three months since the tragic incident at our Clairton Plant that resulted in the loss of two colleagues and injured others. We remember them and continue to stand with their families, friends, and everyone affected.
This day reminds us of the strength and resilience of our U. S. Steel family and the importance of caring for one another.
We also extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders, local leaders, and community members who supported us during those difficult hours and days. Your courage, compassion, and countless acts of kindness will never be forgotten.
As we move forward, we do so with a steadfast commitment to putting safety first—every shift, every day.”
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