New video obtained by NBC10 shows the police body camera footage from the officers who initially responded to the massive fire and explosion at SPS Technologies in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. NBC10’s Deanna Durante has the video and latest on the investigation.
New body camera footage obtained by NBC10 shows the frantic moments police and firefighters responded to the explosive fire at the SPS Technologies building in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.
The Weldon Fire Company first responded to the fire at the company’s aerospace fastener factory on 301 Highland Avenue on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, shortly 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.
“There’s a giant explosion. It shook my house like crazy,” a man tells police in the newly released body cam video. “The fire’s right here on top of the building.”
Responding Abington Township police officers entered the building through the front to make sure everyone was evacuated.
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“Is anybody hurt that we know of?” one of the first responders asks in the video.
“We don’t know,” a man walking out of the building replies.
The video shows more people leaving the building as well as the officers encountering more workers in the back of the facility as fire crews fight the flames.
“They’re saying they’re hearing some sort of explosion that came up from the top of the building up here,” one of the first responders says.
SPS Technologies Fire
As more officers and firefighters respond to the fire, more explosions are heard. The body cam footage also shows flames and embers in the air in the area of the nearby Stewart and Kenmore avenues. Video shows the officers knocking on the doors of nearby homes to get the residents out.
“Hi ma’am,” one officer tells a resident. “We’re just going to request that you guys evacuate for a little bit. We have embers coming off of the building. And we don’t want you guys to be inside. God forbid your house were to catch on fire or anything like that.”
In the video, calls are heard from the radio reporting brush fires in adjacent neighborhoods as the first responders get head counts. The calls also say that residents put out the fires before they spread.
Ultimately, all 60 people who were inside the SPS Technologies building were evacuated and accounted for and 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,” Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy said last week.
Crews ended up battling the fire for several days due to simmering hot spots. The fire also prompted a shelter-in-place and voluntary evacuations for the nearby area as well as the closure of schools in the surrounding community.
Finally, on Saturday, Feb. 22, the fire was officially placed under control. Nearly 70 fire departments from across the region helped to put out the flames.
Crews continue to work to clean up the area as officials test the air and water quality. They also continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
As the neighborhood recovers, a group of attorneys have taken legal action, alleging that “hundreds if not thousands” of residents were impacted by the fire.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, attorneys from the law offices of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky and Stranch, Jennings & Garvey jointly filed a first class-action lawsuit against SPS Technologies on behalf of one person -- Marlo Jones, who is described in a statement in the suit as a Wyncote resident and a bus driver for a school district impacted by the recent fire -- along with "prospective" members of the class-action suit.
“The fire and explosion were caused by defendant’s failures to inspect, properly maintain, and/or operate its facility, including the location of the origin of the fire,” attorneys claimed in a statement on the filing.
They also claimed that SPS “failed to uphold industry standards” in facility operations and as a result “hundreds if not thousands of persons have been damaged.”
Contacted Sunday, a representative for SPS Technologies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
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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