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.

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.

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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.