Second victim of Clairton Coke Works explosion identified
The office of the Allegheny County medical examiner identified a second man who was killed in an explosion at the Clairton Coke Works factory Monday morning.
According to the medical examiner, 52-year-old Steven Menefee died at the scene of the blast. Menefee’s hometown was not provided.
At a press conference Monday afternoon officials said one worker was still unaccounted for, and later that evening announced the employee had been found deceased.
Also killed was Timothy “TQ” Quinn, 39, of Smithton. Another 10 people were injured as a result of the explosion.
The explosion occurred at batteries 13 and 14 of the Clairton steel plant where coal is converted into coke.
The medical examiner identified Quinn late Monday, and Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke about him at a press conference the next day. Quinn had three children, and also cared for his mother and the two children of his girlfriend.
“He was devoted to them. He cared about them. And his life was cut too short because of what happened here at this plant,” Shapiro said on Tuesday.
At the time Shapiro declined to identify Menefee, citing the family’s request for privacy.
According to the medical examiner, Menefee was declared dead at 7:26 p.m. Monday.
It is still not clear what caused the explosion. Officials have launched an investigation to determine what happened.
On Tuesday, Scott Buckiso, executive vice president and chief manufacturing officer of U.S. Steel’s North American Flat-Rolled Segment, said that batteries 19 and 20 were also shut down for repairs to relief pressure valves.
The rest of the plant, which employs about 1,400 workers, remains operational.