Video shows massive fire at Pennsylvania manufacturing facility after explosion
Officials issued a shelter-in-place order within a one-mile radius that will stay in place until the fire is fully under control, the city said.
A southeastern Pennsylvania manufacturing facility employing hundreds of people caught on fire Monday night, sending hundreds of firefighters to the scene to try and put out the blaze.
The fire broke out at SPS Technologies in Abington Township, about 15 miles north of Philadelphia, reported the Abington Township Police Department.
PCC Fasteners, the company that owns SPS Technologies, said in a statement Tuesday that the fire "significantly damaged the facility," and likely started with an electrical transformer inside the plant.
"We are still working to assess the damage," PCC Fasteners said. "The plant will be offline for the foreseeable future."
Employees called authorities for help just after 9:30 p.m. Monday night about an explosion, Abington Township Police Department Chief Patrick Molloy said at a press conference Tuesday morning. Within 10 minutes, crews were at the scene, where they witnessed more explosions.
“They quickly entered to make sure there were no employees inside,” Molloy said. “We learned later that approximately 60 employees were inside and by the grace of God, not one of them was injured and they were able to evacuate.”
As of Tuesday morning, the fire was “still smoldering” and officials were still trying to keep it contained.
Watch video of fire erupting at Pennsylvania facility
Fire causes shelter-in-place
Officials issued a shelter-in-place order within a 1-mile radius of the explosion that was still in place as of Tuesday morning. Tom McAneney, director of Fire & Emergency Management Services, said the goal for a shelter-in-place is for everyone to stay inside.
The township said the order will stay in place until the fire is fully under control.
The township of Abington announced that it had opened an evacuation shelter at the auditorium in Cheltenham High School, located at 500 Rices Mill Road in Wyncote. According to the township, evacuees should head to the shelter or other areas outside of the 1-mile radius surrounding SPS Technologies.
Officials said evacuees should take enough clothing and medication for two days, as well as medical devices and identification. Evacuees can take leashed or crated pets to the evacuation shelter, the township said. Residents who need a ride can call 610- 635-4300.
All residents and businesses in the following areas should evacuate:
- Stewart Avenue
- Runnymede Avenue
- Florence Avenue between Runnymede Avenue and West Avenue
- Highland Avenue between Hillside Avenue and West Avenue
- Rodman Avenue between Walnut Street and Runnymede Avenue
- Hillside Avenue between Florence Avenue and Walnut Street
- Myrtle Avenue between Runnymede Avenue and Rodman Avenue
Updates regarding the shelter-in-place will be posted every two hours at www.abingtonpa.gov and on Facebook, Instagram and X.
No injuries reported, but fears over chemicals
While no one was injured, officials aren’t sure if first responders were exposed to any hazardous materials while battling the fire.
According to the police chief, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, federal partners and public safety departments from neighboring counties have shown up to help. HAZMAT teams are monitoring the air and the runoff water at the scene within a 1-mile zone, Molloy said.
“They have not detected any threats to the public at this point,” he said. “All the tests so far have been coming out negative. The monitoring will continue in the coming days, and we will continue to cooperate with our partners in public safety.”
Officials warned locals to avoid the area this week due to heavy smoke and ongoing firefighting efforts and for those driving, to find alternate routes.
The explosions led some administrators to cancel school for the day, including all Cheltenham School District schools, offices, buildings, and grounds.
“There are significant air quality concerns in our area,” the district wrote on social media. “Central and school- based administrators are expected to work remotely.”
Abington School District, Jenkintown School District and all private and parochial schools were closed Tuesday, as well, the township of Abington announced. Schools are expected to reopen Wednesday.
And, according to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, service was suspended in some areas due to the fire.
‘We erred on the side of safety’
SPS Technologies manufactures fasteners, mainly for the aerospace industry, its parent company said in a statement Tuesday.
Abington Fire Company Chief Michael Jones Sr. shared Tuesday that the agency is not sure where the fire originated, but it has known for years what chemicals were in the building.
“We had concerns that if some of the heat-treating chemicals were to mix, they could form arsenic, which could be in the air and smoke that was coming off of the fire,” he said. “We erred on the side of safety (and issued a) shelter-in-place to make sure it didn't happen.”
He said first responders also knew where the heat-treating areas were inside the building, so they focused their efforts on keeping the fire away from those chemicals.
Jones also said the fire department is confident creeks and water supplies around the site haven’t been impacted because most or all the runoff is held on-site in retention basins and holding tanks.
McAneney said fighting the fire was more difficult due to the size of the fire, the chemicals, the cold, and the winds.
“The building was well-involved on the first unit's arrival, so it had a big head start on us,” he said. “Our first job was to make sure that the employees were evacuated. Once everybody was accounted for, that's when we reevaluated our options and changed tactics.”
Police Chief Molloy said at least 500 employees have worked in the building and the facility has been part of the community ever since he was just starting as an officer in the area.
“They're doing some really important work with the military and also the commercial aerospace industry,” he said. “The impact on a lot of lives is significant.”
Fire investigation
Keith Maslin, chief of the Weldon Fire Company, said SPS Technologies has a fire brigade that was on site at the time.
“I believe all three shifts, there's a fire brigade on site,” he said. “They were in the building and responded first. Several employees called out for 911 for our assistance.”
Chris Platz, Abington Township Fire Marshal, said that SPS Technologies has their own protocols in place and it’s too early in the investigation to tell “at what point if anything did work well or didn't work well.”
He said there is “significant damage throughout” the facility but he couldn’t say when the building will reopen.
This story has been updated to clarify that SPS Technologies is a manufacturing facility.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.