Devoted dad of 3 was among the 2 steel workers killed in explosion at Pennsylvania plant
A devoted dad has been identified as one of the two steel workers killed in an explosion at a Pennsylvania plant on Monday, the governor said.
The incident at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works plant in Clairton, about 15 miles outside of Pittsburgh, trapped people under rubble, prompting a rescue operation, according to Allegheny County officials.
Ten people were injured from the blast inside a battery operating area at the plant, officials said. At least five of the injured have been released from the hospital, according to officials.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he met on Tuesday with the sister and girlfriend of Timothy Quinn, one of the employees killed.
Quinn, who went by "TQ," was a second-generation steel worker, Shapiro said at a news conference. He was a devoted father of three and served as a mentor to his coworkers, Shapiro said.
"His life was cut too short because of what happened here," the governor said. "We have a responsibility to remember his legacy."
The second victim's family declined to release the name publicly, Shapiro said.
David B. Burritt, president and CEO of U.S. Steel, said the company is working with authorities to determine the cause. He also said the plant is considered safe.
"We all have many questions," Shapiro told ABC News Live on Tuesday. "We're demanding answers -- and U.S. Steel has promised us those answers."
"I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the two employees we lost. We're holding you close in our thoughts," Burritt said, adding, "We're also thinking of the injured and their families."
Allegheny County Health Department inspectors visited the complex just over a month before the explosion, Environemntal Protection Agency spokesperson Kelly Offner said in a statement to ABC News.
Inspectors conducted an on-site full compliance evaluation of the facility on July 3.
Additionally, EPA representatives traveled to Clairton last year to conduct "ambient air monitoring" at the facility using an Geospatial Measurement of Air Pollution mobile vehicle, according to the agency.
The local Health Department responded to the explosion on Monday and has since lifted a "stay indoors advisory."
"We did watch the air quality monitors," Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said at Tuesday's news conference. "They all show levels of PM 2.5 [fine inhalable particles under 2.5 micrometers] and sulfur dioxide to be within the national ambient air quality limits throughout the event yesterday and today. Further, hydrogen sulfide levels were also low."
Since the blast, "we have not had any troubling readings here at the plant or in the surrounding communities," Shapiro told ABC News Live. The Allegheny County Health Department and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continue to monitor the situation, and "should that change," the community will immediately be notified, he said.
ABC News' Michael Pappano contributed to this report.
