A four-alarm fire at an SPS Technologies factory in Pennsylvania caused significant damage and prompted shelter-in-place orders and voluntary evacuations. Smoke and ash continue to pose air quality risks, leading to school closures and a temporary shelter at Cheltenham High School. Residents are urged to remain vigilant and follow official guidance.
A shelter-in-place and voluntary evacuations are still in effect amid air quality concerns in the area.website has also been established by Abington TownshipChopper Six was over what's left of the factory that broke out around 9:43 p.
m. Monday in the 300 block of Highland Avenue inChopper 6 video: Crews treating hotspots day after industrial fire at SPS Technologies Now, two days later, smoke is still rising and much of the rubble is coated in a layer of ice from nonstop spraying. "When you look at the size of this building, some 500 thousand square feet and multi layers the difficulty to access our firefighters out in that weather and with equipment, it's very difficult for them to completely extinguish this fire," said Patrick Molloy, Chief of Abington Township Police.The fire, which rose to four-alarms at the height of it, has prompted a shelter-in-place, voluntary evacuations and school closures. Roughly 700 people were asked to voluntarily evacuate late Tuesday afternoon "while conditions permit" because of concerns over air quality, which environmental officials are continuing to monitor. A temporary shelter has been established at the Cheltenham High School's auditorium, located at 500 Rices Mill Road in Wyncote. Residents have been asked to bring two days' worth of belongings. For evacuees with pets, Hopewell Veterinary Hospital is offering free boarding.Voluntary evacuation for residents and businesses within the following streets:Highland Avenue between Hillside Ave and West AvenueHillside Avenue between Florence Avenue and Walnut StreetThe voluntary evacuation order affects 247 homes, many of them in Jenkintown. As of right now, there is no word on when people will be able to return home.should remain closed until further notice. IMAGE: Any residence or business within a one-mile radius of SPS Technologies should remain closed until further notice.This fire has caused ongoing stress for the community, with neighbors on edge and no clear timeline on when it'll end."There's nothing more important than protecting the members of our community," Molloy said. No injuries have been reported, although officials said there are concerns that first responders could have been exposed to the hazardous materials. As of now, officials say no hazardous materials have been detected. But the EPA and the DEP continue to conduct air quality tests inside the perimeter where the fire happened and also in the neighborhood. "We do know that they use very harsh chemicals in the aeronautical engineering process of making bolts and fasteners. So out of an abundance of caution, we made that decision to self-evacuate," Molloy said. "It could be week before you see the effect of this type of an exposure," said Dr. Jamie Garfield, a Temple Health pulmonologist. "And everyone is at risk, just to be clear." The thick plumes of smoke and raging fire could be seen for miles on Monday and Tuesday as it destroying the facility, which makes fasteners for aerospace equipment. A raging four-alarm fire tore through the SPS Technologies complex in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.SEPTA says the fire has also impacting service on the Lansdale, Doylestown, Warminster and West Trenton regional rail lines. The transit agency is supplementing service on the Chestnut Hill East and Fox Chase Lines, ill run approximately every half hour, to accommodate passengers who are using those lines as an alternative."I'm happy they are able to be here in warmth, use bathrooms. We've been feeding them and we're just so thankful for all the first responder volunteers helping our community," Katz said. Two years ago, SPS technologies had to pay a fine of $109,000 to the EPA, for failing to properly dispose of and store hazardous waste, as well as failure to have a clear contingency plan for evacuation.Related Topics
FIRE EVACUATION AIR QUALITY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COMMUNITYIMPACT
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