Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Feb. 6:

Loud boom heard at Clairton Coke Works

An issue with a battery early Wednesday triggered a fire — and an “audible boom” — that injured at least two people at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant in Pittsburgh’s Mon Valley.

The coke works’ B Battery experienced a hydraulic failure overnight, Allegheny County Health Department said U.S. Steel reported.

The buildup of combustible material then ignited, causing the boom that some area residents might have heard, the health department said. About “20 seconds of emissions” also leaked from the facility into the air.

Two people, who were not named, needed first-aid treatment because they got material in their eyes, health officials said. They were taken to the hospital but did not suffer serious injuries.

About 4:45 a.m., the incident caused pollution rates created by the plant’s emissions to rise, though health officials said the readings were “well under the EPA 24-hour rate.”

The health department plans to continue monitoring the impact on air quality in the region.

Victim named in fatal Glassport shooting

Authorities have identified the Glassport man fatally shot at an apartment building last week as Le Andre Porch, 22.

Allegheny County Police made an arrest Wednesday in connection with the shooting, which was reported in the 800 block of Monongahela Avenue at about 7:15 p.m. Jan. 31.

Porch had been shot once in the neck while trying to access the Hemlock Alley entrance to an apartment, according to a criminal complaint in the case.

First responders rushed him to an area hospital in critical condition, where he later died. Porch was pronounced dead at 2:43 p.m. on Sunday, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

“They did everything they could to save his life but unfortunately nothing else could be done,” Porch’s family wrote on a GoFundMe page looking to raise money for funeral expenses. “With that being said, he had no life insurance and no one expected to have to bury their child.”

Police on Tuesday took Robert Wright, 26, a suspect in the shooting, into custody and charged him with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and a firearms count, Allegheny County Police said and court records show.

A witness said she saw Wright shoot Porch, the complaint said. The witness said they and Porch previously saw Wright and his children at a Family Dollar store.

A judge denied Wright bail on Wednesday, court records show. He remains in the Allegheny County Jail.

Wright’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11.

Porch’s family said they donated Porch’s organs as the young man’s “final act of kindness.” He is survived by his parents, four brothers and two sisters, the family said.

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