SPS Technologies fire site ‘extremely dangerous', people told to avoid it

Days after an explosive fire broke out at the SPS Technologies factory in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, residents were back in their homes and students were back in their classrooms as firefighters continued to deal with an active fire scene that officials called "extremely dangerous."

"While fire suppressions have contained the fire it remains an active scene," Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy said a midday news conference on Feb. 20, 2025.

Hot spots continued to burn Thursday in "deep-seeded parts of the building," that crews had yet to access, Abington Township Emergency Management Coordinator Tom McAneney said.

The stretch of Highland Avenue where the large factory that built aerospace fasteners and fittings caught fire on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, remained closed Thursday, Abington Township said. The fire destroyed the factory, but didn't cause any injuries to the dozens of workers inside when it ignited.

"Emergency personnel have worked through the night and will continue to work to ensure public safety," the township said in a Thursday morning news release. "The shelter-in-place and evacuation recommendation remain lifted at this time."

Students at Abington and Cheltenham township schools were back in the classroom Thursday, a day after residents were allowed to return home. Jenkintown Township public schools were virtual Thursday with the hopes of reopening on Friday.

People were urged to avoid the area near the factory as Highland Avenue remained closed "for the foreseeable future," the township said.

The investigation into the SPS Technologies blaze continued as fire operations shifted to "address the most immediate fire hot spots within the building," the township said.

"In order for fire suppression equipment to reach these locations, some demolition of the building will take place," Abington said. "Demolition will be carefully coordinated and overseen by all agencies, engineers, and responders on site. This is a necessary step to extinguishing the fire."

Township officials announced that demolition crews will start to bring the building down on Friday, Feb. 21 with the help of the Abington Township Fire Department. The work will only happen during the day.

The integrity of the building has been compromised and could collapse, Molloy said.

Freezing temps and icy conditions left by water used on the flames have slowed efforts, officials said.

"This is an extremely complex undertaking," Molloy said of the investigation.

After the fire is completely extinguished, township officials explained that SPS Technologies will take over and work on remediation. The company is already working on removing chemicals that are located in the part of the building that was not impacted by the fire.

What we know about the fire

The Weldon Fire Company initially responded to the fire at the SPS Technologies warehouse on 301 Highland Avenue on Monday a little after 9:30 p.m. When crews arrived they observed flames breaching through the roof of the building as well as multiple explosions inside the facility.

Officials said at least 60 employees were inside the building at the time. They were all evacuated and accounted for. No injuries were reported.

“By the grace of God, or a miracle, there was no loss of life or injuries as a result of this explosion and a fire that has gone on for several days,” Molloy said Thursday.

A total of 68 fire companies responded to the four-alarm fire and battled the flames throughout the night into Tuesday morning and beyond.

On Tuesday morning, officials announced the fire was contained but remained active and was still smoldering.

“We are still fighting this fire. It’s still actively burning,” McAneney said Tuesday morning.

Sources told NBC10 there was another explosion inside the building around 10:20 a.m. Tuesday and all of the crews returned to the facility where they continued to work to bring the fire under control.

SPS Technologies is a supplier for aerospace fasteners and fittings and was founded in Jenkintown in 1903 as the Standard Pressed Steel Company.

At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, officials explained that the factory did have a sprinkler system, but it was out of service because of a maintenance issue.

The company is being credited with following the right precautions by having a fire watch in place and keeping a fire brigade in the building, officials explained.

In a statement read by Molloy Thursday, SPS said the were continuing to assess the damage done and its extent.

SPS said it was thankful for the safe evacuation of all of its workers and thanks first responders.

No people allowed near 'extremely dangerous area'

"This is an extremely dangerous area," Molloy said Thursday.

Security guards and barricades were being put in place to ensure people don't get too close, officials said. The area will be enforced, officials said.

The police chief noted that while the closure of busy Highland Avenue will be a hinderance to people, it is necessary. Drivers and pedestrians are banned from the "no trespassing" area.

"We cannot emphasize enough that there is absolutely no trespassing on the site," the township said Thursday. "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 recovery effort is expected to last for many weeks, Molloy said.

Continued air quality monitoring

Federal and state environmental agencies continued to monitor the air quality and a nearby waterway.

"The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to monitor air quality," Abington said. "Based on the data collected, the 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," Abington said. "There are no drinking water intakes from Tookany Creek."

Drinking water supplies aren't at risk, officials said.

"Aqua Pennsylvania is monitoring the situation in Abington Township, Montgomery County as investigators respond to the fire at SPS Technologies," Aqua said in a news release. "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."

As of Thursday morning, the DEP was still waiting for the results of water testing from the day before.

SPS representatives told Abington officials that most of the chemicals of concern were stored in a separate building that was not destroyed in the explosion or fire, Molloy said.

"The tactical response from our firefighters prevented what could have been a mass casualty incident," Molloy said.

SPS was in the process Thursday of removing all the chemicals from the site, Molloy said.

Shelter-in-place order lifted

A shelter-in-place was put in effect in the area Monday night due to smoke from the fire filtering near the warehouse, officials said.

After recommending the evacuation Tuesday afternoon, officials advised all residents and businesses outside of the evacuation zone, but within one mile of the SPS Technologies building to continue to shelter in place, remain indoors and avoid the area of the fire.

While officials initially said there were concerns over fire fighting materials reacting with chemicals onsite to create arsenic, they haven't found any evidence of that occurring.

What should you do if debris landed in your yard?

Abington residents and people in neighboring Jenkintown Township were most impacted by the fire.

People who see fire or explosion debris on their property should call 911, Molloy said.

"It's a non-emergency number also and it will directly get the resources out to your property," Molloy said.

The fire marshal, ATF and others can then collect any items to figure out if they were from the blast site, officials said.

Hotline for concerned residents

Molloy said the township was "encouraged" by the support being offered by SPS, which has been part of the community for more than 120 years.

SPS Technologies launched a community hotline for "questions, comments or concerns" from the Jenkintown and Abington communities, officials said. People can call 215-572-3326 or email contactSPS@pccairframe.com.

For more information and the latest updates from Abington Township, click here.

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