MAY 14, 2015
JENKINS TWP., PENNSYLVANIA
A Pennsylvania state Department of Environmental Protection
official said Thursday air quality tests at the site of a chemical fire at
Acton Technologies Inc. revealed “very low” levels of chemical compounds.
The fire alarm at Acton Technologies Inc. on Thompson Street
Wednesday summoned nearly 80 Greater Pittston firefighters into action and sent
Pittston Area High School students home early.
Classes at Pittston Area, located less than a mile away from
Acton Technologies Inc., resumed on Thursday.
The fire was ruled accidental by state police deputy fire
marshal Trooper Ron Jarocha, and the investigation determined a static
discharge was the cause of the blaze.
Acton Technologies Inc. creates coating material for
cookware, and according to state Department of Environmental Protection
spokeswoman Colleen Connolly, the storage area that caught fire contained
acetone, a chemical used to remove glue-like substances such as nail polish.
It took firefighters three hours to quell the flames. One
firefighter was treated by paramedics for minor injuries.
Connolly said air testing was completed after the fire to
ensure there were no harmful chemicals in the atmosphere.
“We spent about two hours doing air quality testing,” she
said. “We have a machine that measures what kind of chemicals would be in the
air, and it measured very low for chemical compounds. We were there for an hour
during the fire and an hour after the fire. We didn’t measure any high levels.”
At about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Pittston Area High School
Principal John Haas said he was informed by Luzerne County 911 officials that
the air was safe and that faculty could return to the school.
Haas said on Wednesday school officials could smell the
smoke from the fire around 9:40 a.m., and Luzerne County 911 officials
recommended evacuation.
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MASSIVE CHEMICAL FIRE HITS CHEMICAL PLANT NEAR PITTSTON, PA
MAY 13, 2015
JENKINS TOWNSHIP, PA
A chemical fire at Acton Technologies near Pittston broke
out around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, forcing a nearby high school to evacuate.
As giant plumes of smoke filled the air, chemicals fueled a
fire, and ultimately destroyed a storage building at Acton Technologies near
Pittston.
Fire crews are fighting a blaze at Action Technologies in
Jenkins @wnep pic.twitter.com/GmFORtbv9f
— Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) May 13, 2015
“I’ve never seen a fire that bad before, but I know that
everyone is concerned with all the chemicals from that building and all the
pollution that spread through the air just because of the significant amount of
smoke that filled the sky,” said Megan Curry.
Two other buildings on the property were not damaged.
Acton Industries makes chemicals used in a variety of
industries, including aerospace and electronics.
State environmental officials tested the air and said it was
safe, but they did find low levels of liquid plastic that had runoff into
drainage ditches.
“We took a look at that and really we’re just letting it
flow through. We didn’t see any outflow into the river. Hopefully, it can
dissipate itself once it’s in the storm drain,” said DEP official Colleen
Connolly.
The Jenkins Township fire chief said this was an especially
difficult fire to fight because of the acetone that’s stored in this facility.
That’s a chemical that’s used in nail polish remover and is something that’s
very flammable.
Chemical companies are supposed to send local emergency
management and fire departments a map of what chemicals it has and where
they’re stored.
“That helps us to know what’s on scene and the hazards,”
explained Lucille Morgan, Luzerne County EMA.
If investigators find chemicals that they failed to report,
the company could be penalized by the state.
“Nothing is on the table and nothing is off as far as a
civil penalty,” said Connolly.
UPDATE: A state police fire marshal says the fire was
accidental, started by static electrical discharge.
Firefighters say one worker from Acton was taken to the
hospital. Acton wouldn’t comment on that person’s injuries.