Jenkintown residents can expect more testing and cleanup after massive SPS Technologies fire, police chief says; schools to remain closed Thursday
Nothing hazardous was detected during testing at Jenkintown schools, but they will closed Thursday for a cleaning out of an "abundance of caution," Police Chief Thomas Scott said.
At a meeting Wednesday night of Jenkintown Borough officials, Police Chief Thomas Scott provided a briefing that detailed the aftermath of the massive SPS Technologies fire and outlined what community members could expect going forward.
Scott outlined continued air and water testing, but he also described the explosive and frightening start of the blaze in neighboring Abington Township that could have turned into a life-ending catastrophe.
“We are extremely lucky,” Scott said, referring to radio dispatch reports that 60 workers were trapped after an initial explosion. All the workers got out safely.
“It is going to be a long, arduous process to deal with all these issues, but the most important thing is no one died and no one was hurt,” Scott said.
As for what exploded Monday night, and what caused continued explosions, is under investigation, he said.
Air and water testing has not found anything hazardous so far, but the testing “will continue for weeks or months from now,” Scott said.
“This is not a short-term operation,” he said.
Air testing found no hazards at the Jenkintown site that includes the high school, middle school, and elementary school, Scott said.
Nonetheless, the school site will be closed Thursday because officials wanted to conduct a cleaning out of “an abundance of caution,” Scott said. Schools in Abington and Cheltenham, which had been closed since the fire, were expected to be open Thursday.
The police chief said he would be meeting with representatives from SPS Technologies on Thursday to discuss cleanup efforts in the borough and individual residences that had debris fall on their property. The company already had contracted with several companies for the purposes of cleanup at the fire site and at other nearby properties, handling hazardous materials that are still at the company’s property, and air and water testing, the chief said.
Officials announced earlier on Wednesday that SPS Technologies had established a community hotline for questions, comments, or concerns at 215-572-3326, and they can send emails to [email protected].
A centralized update system has been established on Abington Township’s website.
During a comment period, some residents expressed concern about the manufacturing chemicals stored at the facility.
Scott said some public reports about what was stored there relied on outdated information, but he did not specify what was inaccurate.
When asked if he was confident that local officials had an accurate accounting of the chemicals at SPS Technologies, he replied: “Yes.”