According to Abington Township, the fire at SPS Technologies, 301 Highland Avenue in Jenkintown, remains active, but is contained. Investigations are ongoing and the Highland Avenue area will be closed for the "foreseeable future."
"This is an extremely complex undertaking ... and it was determined that the integrity of the building is compromised and is in danger of collapse," Abington Chief of Police Patrick Molloy said. "Because of this, this is an extremely dangerous area. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic is prohibited."
The township is bringing in heavy equipment to secure the area and to make sure the area is blocked off to the public and keeping the public out of danger.
According to SPS, most of the chemicals were stored in a different building, and the company is working to move those chemicals to a different location, Molloy said at the press conference.
During the press conference, emergency management officials indicated that the investigation as to determine what caused the fire will take weeks.
On Thursday, fire operations will shift to address the most immediate fire hot spots within the building. Crews will begin to demolish parts of the building in order for fire suppression equipment to reach certain locations.
"We cannot emphasize enough that there is absolutely no trespassing on the site and will be strictly enforced," a press release said. "All trespassers create a safety risk for all the emergency responders and public. Sections of the SPS Technologies building are structurally compromised and it is an active emergency scene as operations continue to unfold."
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to monitor air quality, however, at this time, monitoring equipment has not detected levels of contaminants of public concern. Additional air monitoring equipment has been placed on site and around the area by third-party environmental consultants.
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) conducted an initial sampling of the Tookany Creek on February 18; low levels of chemicals of concern were found in the creek immediately downstream of the fire at that time. There are no drinking water intakes from Tookany Creek.
According to Aqua, drinking water supplies are not at risk, and provided the following statement:
“Aqua Pennsylvania is monitoring the situation in Abington Township, Montgomery County as investigators respond to the fire at SPS Technologies. Aqua responded to the scene late Monday night and concluded that there is currently no risk to drinking water in the surrounding area. We will continue to monitor the situation and will alert customers of any drinking water quality concerns. Customers should continue to check our website for updates. Aqua’s systems performed as designed to support the enormous water flow needed as fire companies responded to the blaze. Due to the firefighting effort, some customers in the area may experience lower than normal water pressure. We thank the first responders for braving frigid conditions as they worked to control this situation.”
Road Closures/Detours
Residents should be aware of the following:
