Pennsylvania
Video shows massive fire at Pennsylvania warehouse after explosion
Officials issued a shelter-in-place order within a one-mile radius that will stay in place until the fire is fully under control, the city said.
Fire engulfs SPS Technologies warehouse in Pennsylvania
A massive fire engulfed Pennsylvania’s SPS Technologies warehouse building, a shelter in place is in order for the area.
A southeastern Pennsylvania warehouse employing hundreds of people caught on fire Monday night, sending hundreds of firefighters to the scene to try and put out the blaze.
The fire broke out at SPS Technologies in Abington Township, about 15 miles north of Philadelphia, reported the Abington Township Police Department.
Employees called authorities for help just after 9:30 p.m. local time Monday night about an explosion, Abington Township Police Department Chief Patrick Molloy said at a press conference Tuesday morning. Within 10 minutes, crews were at the scene, where they witnessed more explosions.
Watch video of fire erupting at Pennsylvania warehouse
‘By the grace of God’: No injuries reported
“They quickly entered to make sure there were no employees inside,” Molloy said. “We learned later that approximately 60 employees were inside and by the grace of God, not one of them was injured and they were able to evacuate.”
The situation quickly morphed into a multiple-alarm fire, ultimately becoming a four-alarm fire at 1:11 a.m., the city of Abington announced in a press release. As of Tuesday morning, the fire was “still smoldering” and officials were still trying to keep it contained.
Fire causes shelter-in-place to be in effect, school cancellations
Officials issued a shelter-in-place order within a one-mile radius of the explosion that was still in place as of Tuesday morning. Tom McAneney, Director of Fire & Emergency Management Services, said Tuesday that the goal for a shelter-in-place is for everyone to stay inside.
The city said the order will stay in place until the fire is fully under control, officials said Tuesday morning.
Officials said updates regarding the shelter-in-place will be posted every two hours at www.abingtonpa.gov and on Facebook, Instagram and X.
Altogether, 68 fire companies responded to the scene, Molloy said, adding that no civilians were injured and no responding personnel were injured either.
Still, officials aren’t sure if first responders were exposed to any hazardous materials in the process, he said.
According to the police chief, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, federal partners and public safety departments from neighboring counties have shown up to help.
HAZMAT teams are monitoring the air and the runoff water at the scene within a one-mile zone, Molloy said.
“They have not detected any threats to the public at this point,” he said. “All the tests so far have been coming out negative. The monitoring will continue in the coming days, and we will continue to cooperate with our partners in public safety.”
SPS Technologies did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday morning.
Officials warned locals this week to avoid the area due to heavy smoke and ongoing firefighting efforts and for those driving, to find alternate routes.
The explosions led some administrators to cancel school for the day, including all Cheltenham School District schools, offices, buildings, and grounds.
“There are significant air quality concerns in our area,” the district wrote on social media. “Central and school- based administrators are expected to work remotely.”
Abington School District, Jenkintown School District and all private and parochial schools are closed Tuesday as well, the city of Abington announced.
Fire Chief Jones said schools should reopen tomorrow.
And, according to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), service was suspended in some areas due to the fire.
‘We erred on the side of safety’
SPS Technologies provides aerospace and aircraft tools and supplies, according to its website.
Abington Fire Company Chief Michael Jones Sr. shared Tuesday that the fire company is not sure where the fire originated, but it has known for years what chemicals were in the building.
“We had concerns that if some of the heat treating chemicals were to mix, they could form arsenic, which could be in the air and smoke that was coming off of the fire,” he said. “We erred on the side of safety (and issued a) shelter-in-place to make sure it didn’t happen.”
He said first responders also knew where the heat-treating areas were inside the building, so they focused their efforts on keeping the fire away from those chemicals.
Jones also said the fire department is confident creeks and water supplies around the site haven’t been impacted because most or all the runoff is held on-site in retention basins and holding tanks.
McAneney, from Fire & Emergency Management Services, said fighting the fire was more difficult due to the size of the fire, the chemicals, the cold, and the winds.
More on SPS Technologies
“The building was well-involved on the first unit’s arrival, so it had a big head start on us,” McAneney said. “Our first job was to make sure that the employees were evacuated. Once everybody was accounted for, that’s when we reevaluated our options and changed tactics.”
Police Chief Molloy said at least 500 employees have worked in the building and the facility has been part of the community ever since he was just starting as an officer in the area.
“They’re doing some really important work with the military and also the commercial aerospace industry,” he said. “The impact on a lot of lives is significant.”
Fire investigation
Keith Maslin, Chief of the Weldon Fire Company, spoke Tuesday morning and said SPS Technologies has a fire brigade that was on-site at the time.
“I believe all three shifts, there’s a fire brigade on-site,” he said. “They were in the building and responded first. Several employees called out for 911 for our assistance.”
Chris Platz, Abington Township Fire Marshal, said Tuesday that SPS Technologies has their own protocols in place and it’s too early in the investigation to tell “at what point if anything did work well or didn’t work well.”
Officials are still trying to suppress the fire as of Tuesday morning, he said, so an official investigation hasn’t started.
He said there is “significant damage throughout” the facility but he couldn’t say when the building will reopen.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
Pennsylvania
Sen. John Fetterman receives no support for re-election from Pennsylvania House Democrats: report
Pennsylvania Democrats are reluctant to support Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., for re-election, according to a new report.
Punchbowl News spoke to several Pennsylvania congressional members on Monday about whether they’d be willing to endorse Fetterman for another term in 2028 despite the backlash he’s been facing for opposing the Democratic Party.
“Want a sense of how tenuous Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) position is with Pennsylvania Democrats? Not a single Pennsylvania House Democrat in the delegation will say Fetterman should run for re-election as a Democrat,” the report said.
Though the House members did not explicitly reject the idea of Fetterman running again, they avoided answering whether they believed Fetterman should seek a second term as a Democrat, often focusing instead on the 2026 midterm elections.
“My focus right now is on 2026, but I would just say I’d be very surprised if he ran in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate,” Rep. Brendan Boyle said.
Rep. Chris Deluzio also answered that he would see what happens after 2026, though Punchbowl News acknowledged both he and Boyle are rumored to be launching their own Senate bids in 2028.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon added that she was interested in “getting through 2026 first.”
“I’ll hold my tongue so I don’t get in trouble,” Scanlon said.
Rep. Summer Lee told Punchbowl News the decision was “up to him” whether Fetterman should run, though she added that he would do so “at his own peril.”
Others were more vocal about their disagreements with Fetterman, though they stopped short of rejecting the idea of Fetterman running again.
“My concern is entirely about him and his health, and I’ll let 2028 take care of itself,” Rep. Madeleine Dean said.
“I disagree with many of his votes.”
“It’s no secret that I’ve been disappointed with some of his votes and that I’m confused by it,” Rep. Chrissy Houlahan added.
“But I’m not responsible for deciding whether he runs again.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office and the other Pennsylvania Democrats mentioned in the report for comment.
Fetterman has publicly spoken out against his party on several issues, particularly its growing hostility against Israel.
The Pennsylvania senator has also supported President Donald Trump in his ongoing war against Iran and strict border policies.
Though strategists have suggested Fetterman could switch parties because of his bipartisan stance, he previously ruled out leaving the Democratic Party last year.
“I’m not going to switch. I’m just going to be an independent voice in the Democratic Party. I’m not going to be afraid of people,” Fetterman said.
“CBS Mornings” exclusively revealed Pennsylvania high school teacher Leon Smith as the 2026 National Teacher of the Year, which is selected by the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year program.
Smith, a social studies teacher at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pennsylvania, said the honor “just means everything.”
“It’s just such an honor to be able to represent teachers all over the country and really stand on the shoulders of so many others that have come before me that have done just such great work,” Smith said in an interview with “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday.
Smith, who teaches AP U.S. history and AP African American studies, was previously named the 2025 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.
In a video, students at Haverford High School and colleagues described Smith as passionate, caring, charismatic and engaging.
“He is everything you want in a teacher,” principal Pete Donaghy said in the video. “He relates African American studies or U.S. history to his students.”
Smith reflected on the difference teachers can make in the lives of their students. For him, his favorite teacher was his first grade teacher, Ms. Mason.
“Just how she made me feel,” Smith said. “So I just think that’s the power of a teacher, that it’s not always the content but it’s how you make the students feel is what they remember.”
Smith said he thinks it’s crucial to let students “know that you care.”
“And also just being able to see things in students that they cannot see in themselves.”
Smith is also a longtime basketball coach, coaching the freshman team at Haverford High School.
“I was one of his players and he made sure that I felt seen,” a former player told “CBS Mornings.” “He made me feel like I actually had a purpose.”
Smith’s love for basketball started when he was young. His favorite player ever is Julius Erving, known as Dr. J., who Smith said made him “fall in love” with the game.
Erving surprised Smith on “CBS Mornings” by congratulating him in person on being named the National Teacher of the Year.
“When I got the notification about Leon, I realized that his school Haverford is literally right around the corner from a house that I lived in for 11 years,” Erving said. “So there was a connection … I said, ‘Well, let’s go and be on the show. Go see some people. Spread some joy. Spread some love.’”
Erving recalled a teacher who had an impact on his life.
“The most significant was Mr. Ray Wilson, who actually taught special ed in my high school, but he was also my basketball coach,” Erving said, describing Wilson as a lifelong mentor.
“He lived until he was in his 80s, and he was always there. He was always my first call anytime anything came up. Big or small, I could always call him, anytime, day or night. That was special.”
Smith called meeting Erving an honor and said he’s thankful for a moment that he’ll never forget.
A Pennsylvania court ruling is reshaping abortion access in the state, striking down a decades-old ban on using Medicaid to pay for abortions and declaring that the Pennsylvania Constitution guarantees a right to abortion.
The decision came Monday from the state’s Commonwealth Court. In a 4-3 vote, judges ruled in favor of abortion rights in Pennsylvania and invalidated the state’s restriction on Medicaid-funded abortions.
Local abortion-rights advocates praised the ruling as a major step toward protecting access for low-income residents. Adrienne Daily, co-founder of Johnstown for Choice, said, “Everybody should have the right to that. If you restrict the coverage, you’re obviously discriminating against those that have lower income.”
Opponents of abortion rights called the decision a dramatic expansion of the court’s power and warned it will force taxpayers to pay for procedures they oppose. Michael Geer, president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, said, “Taxpayers now in Pennsylvania will have no choice under this court ruling to fund abortions. And there are many, many millions of Pennsylvanians who think abortion is wrong. It’s the taking of an innocent human life and to force taxpayers who conscientiously object to abortion to then fund it is just plain wrong.”
Abortion-rights advocates pushed back, arguing abortion access is healthcare and a personal decision. Daily said, “This is a family issue. This is a personal issue. This is a bodily autonomy issue.”
Pro-life leaders also warned the ruling could have broader implications for other abortion-related laws. Geer said, “It is sweeping and there’s no question it’s judicial overreach.” He added, “If this ruling stands, it will invite attacks on every remaining pro-life safeguard that has been put into law by lawmakers at the behest to the people of Pennsylvania over decades.”
The case could still be appealed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. That decision lies with Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday. His office has not provided a response, but the Associated Press reported a spokesperson said the office is reviewing the decision and did not say whether it will appeal.
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