Locals in Warren reported hearing a loud blast on Saturday afternoon, miles away from the Cleveland-Cliffs Coke plant. As rescue personnel arrived in Warren Township, they discovered an explosion at the ArcelorMittal Warren coke facility. ArcelorMittal USA was acquired by mining giant Cleveland-Cliffs in December 2020, which explains why the Warren factory is commonly referred to by its previous name.
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There are currently limited details available, but according to the Warren Township Fire Department, crews are looking into an explosion in a boiler at the site. There have been no recorded injuries, and no possible chemical leaks have emerged.
After the incident on Saturday, a Cleveland-Cliffs representative gave a statement to 19 News stating that the factory would carry on with regular operations. “Cleveland-Cliffs confirms that a boiler failed at its Warren Coke plant this afternoon causing a loud noise heard throughout the adjacent areas to the plant. No employees were injured and the facility continues to operate normally with redundant boilers,” he said.
Joe Lanza, a local neighbor, captured footage of a column of smoke emerging from the ArcelorMittal plant on Main Avenue in Warren, Ohio. The facility creates coke, a fuel made from coal that is used to make steel. Lanza said in his post that the explosion could be heard “for miles around,” leading him to believe at first that a tree had crashed on his house.
“I live 20 mins away and heard the boom, people all over this area are reporting the same,” a Twitter user commented on the incident.
“The whole apartment shook hard as I thought someone crashed into the building, but I guess the coke plant in Warren just blew up,” another tweeted.
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Authorities advised people to stay away from the region, and they said that more updates would be given when they learned more.
