Steel Mill explosion, Western PA

[flogxal]

I went to college in Wheeling WV from 1981-85 and many of the students at that small college were from the nearby region, Ohio River valley, coal and steel country. Many were 1st generation in college because in their mill/factory town, de-industrialization had caused closures or cutbacks in workers, leaving these youngsters without a local job prospect. So they went to college instead.

They would tell us from big city areas like DC, Phila, Baltimore what the economy was like in the eastern Rust Belt, how their families survived on blue collar incomes, etc.

Earlier today I saw this news story about a steel mill coke plant in Clairton PA.

 

[wvfarrier]

Fortunately only 1 person killed but several injured

 

[GrayRyder]

It's up to 2 dead and 10 injured. Coke is made using temperatures of 2,000 degrees so you can only imagine what it must have been like.

 

[hangunnr]

Coke batteries are nasty places. High heat and normally very dirty. They absorb some of that heat making steam. Seeing the relief valves blowing off tells me they had a steam over pressure event and the RVs were insufficient to stop it resulting in a rupture of the system.

 

[Kamerad]

Condolences to the workers and families.

 

[TheHorta]

Seems fishy. Getting to be too many of these type of infrastructure-supporting “disasters” to be merely accidental.

Probably been hanging around Deersniper too much.

 

[Threadcutter308]

Seems fishy. Getting to be too many of these type of infrastructure-supporting “disasters” to be merely accidental.

Probably been hanging around Deersniper too much.

He breaks all his own shit. He doesn't use any "outside help".............

 

[Alphatreedog]

May be jaded and maybe a lack of compassion yet when I see this in Blue Collar areas it hurts .
Especially in economically hurt areas in Pa , Ohio , West Virginia etc.
Brother in law and lots of people I knew worked for US Steel . Dad worked for Bud Company Rail Car Division as an Industrial Electrician. When there's blood on that Blue Collar I feel it .