Jenkintown SPS fire continues to smolder; most chemicals stored at the site were spared from blaze, officials say

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The fire at SPS Technologies in Jenkintown continues to burn Thursday afternoon despite the days-long effort from firefighters to suppress it.

Monday evening’s four-alarm inferno at the aerospace product manufacturing facility sparked a massive response from 68 fire companies across the Philadelphia region.

Extinguishing the fire has proven to be “extremely complex,” Abington Township Chief of Police Patrick Molloy said at a press conference Thursday.

The building is “compromised and in danger of collapse,” Molloy said. Demolition of the building could begin in the next few days, officials said.

Road closures are still in effect and listed on Abington Township’s website with ongoing updates on the fire.

Air quality and water contamination monitoring remain a top priority for officials. Concerns of chemicals and toxins permeating the air prompted shelter-in-place and self-evacuation orders Tuesday. As of Thursday, county hazmat teams, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have not detected levels of contaminants that should concern the public.

“Most of the chemicals were stored in a separate building that was not impacted by the explosion or the subsequent fire,” Molloy said.

In a statement from SPS read by Molloy, the company said it is currently moving all chemicals of concern offsite.

“Thanks to the great work and decisions made at the onset of this fire, these chemicals were not involved,” Molloy said. “I don’t think this could be understated, once the initial response and rescue efforts were over, our volunteer firefighters strategically targeted these adjoining buildings where these chemicals were stored to prevent the fire from extending. The tactical response by our firefighters prevented what could have been a mass casualty incident.”

Officials urged residents to refrain from touching any debris from the fire and instead call 911.

Jenkintown Police Chief Tom Scott said environmental contractors are installing monitors across parts of Abington, Cheltenham and Jenkintown. The Jenkintown Fire Department is also working with a third-party environmental contractor to inspect homes in the borough.

“They’ve been provided with a list of the preliminary list of homes that have been impacted directly inside the borough,” Scott said. “We are continuing to add to that list of homes, as well as critical infrastructure that’s inside. We will be making sure that those homes are inspected to make sure that they’re safe, but also mitigate any issues with regards to debris or any other exposure from the fire.”

The Jenkintown School District has installed “air scrubbers,” devices primarily used in industrial settings to remove contaminants, pollutants and air particles.

The future of SPS Technologies in Jenkintown is uncertain. Montgomery County commissioners highlighted the importance of the company in the local economy at the board meeting Thursday morning.

“The county is going to do everything we can from a commerce perspective, an economic perspective, to make sure that we support employees, for example, unemployment compensation and otherwise,” Commissioner Chair Neil Makhija said. “So I look forward to hearing from the company. I haven’t heard anything yet myself, but I want to make sure that we touch base with the employees and ensure that they have everything they need.”

Commissioner Tom DiBello expressed support for SPS to rebuild in Abington.

“We have to do everything we can moving forward to, once this scene’s completely taken care of, to help SPS rebuild, and obviously love for them to stay in Abington,” he said. “There’s hundreds of people that are employed by the community there … It would be a loss for not only Abington, for Montgomery County to see SPS Technologies pull out.”

SPS has established a community hotline. Residents can reach out by phone at 215-572-3326 or by email at contactSPS@pccairframe.com.