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.
LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — Cherries, strawberries, peaches — normally all easy to find at local farms this time of the year — but some orchards are still feeling the impact of a freeze that killed many of those fruits.
What’s normally a busy season is a quiet one for the Honey Bear Orchard after an April freeze took all their fruit crops for this year.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | ‘It just froze them’: Honey Bear Orchards loses $200K, fruit crops in April freeze
“We usually start Father’s Day with sweet cherries … and that day, it has just grown into a big day for us,” owner Nelson Heagy said. “Sometimes, the cars are lined up the whole way in the lane, 3 to 400 cars come in that day. Tomorrow it’s going to be quiet.”
The night of April 20, temperatures in Lebanon County dropped below 24 degrees — a devastating blow to farms whose fruit trees were unable to survive the cold temperatures.
In less than 24 hours, Honey Bear Orchards lost dozens of acres of fruit, including cherries, apricots, apples and peaches.
At the time, the orchard estimated it lost around $200,000, but Heagy says that’s not the worst part.
“It’s more the emotional, because financially, yes, we’re geared up for that and it’s meeting the people.”
After Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the USDA to help out Pennsylvania counties impacted by this freeze, the agency announced several counties were eligible for disaster assistance in the form of emergency loans.
READ MORE | Six PA counties included in disaster designation for farmers affected by April freeze
Adams, Chester, Franklin, Fulton, Lancaster and York counties are included.
Absent from that list is Lebanon County, where Honey Bear Orchards is located.
We reached out to the USDA to ask why Lebanon County wasn’t included, but we haven’t heard back yet.
However, Heagy says it’s likely because there’s only two orchards in the county.
“A lot of people reached out and said, ‘What can we do?’” he said. “And it’s simply come back next year.”
They’re not the only farm that has to make do this season — Forge Hill Orchards in York County lost half of its crop in the April freeze.
Despite that, retail manager Abby Naylor says they’re lucky because they still have a little bit of everything.
“I think the best thing that people can do is just to buy local and help support the farmers that really lost a lot of their stuff.”
The Pennsylvania Beef Council recently launched the inaugural Pennsylvania Beef Trail with menu tastings at two highlighted trail stops in Berks County.
Held in May to celebrate Beef Month, the event brought together Pennsylvania Beef Council leadership, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, local restaurant partners, beef producers and community members to celebrate Pennsylvania beef, local food businesses and the culinary creativity found across the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Beef Trail highlights restaurants across the state serving standout beef dishes nominated by consumers. Hosted on the Pennsylvania Beef Council website, the trail features an interactive map designed to help Pennsylvanians discover delicious beef dishes by region and plan their own beef-inspired dining experiences.
“The PA Beef Trail is a celebration of everything that makes Pennsylvania beef special: the farmers who raise it, the restaurants that prepare it and the consumers who love it,” Nichole Hockenberry, executive director of the Pennsylvania Beef Council, said in the release.
“Launching the trail during May, which is Beef Month, gave us the perfect opportunity to showcase the connection between agriculture, local businesses, and the meals that bring people together.”
The celebration featured two stops on the trail: Saucony Creek Brewing Company in Kutztown and Deitsch Eck Restaurant in Lenhartsville.
Attendees sampled a variety of featured beef dishes, including pit beef sliders, sausage sandwiches, smoked chuck roast tacos, and Golden Arches flatbread from Saucony Creek Brewing Company, as well as beef pot pie, shepherd’s pie, and The Luther from Deitsch Eck Restaurant.
The launch event also underscored the role of beef in Pennsylvania’s agricultural identity and local economy. By highlighting restaurants that serve creative, consumer-loved beef dishes, the trail encourages residents and visitors to support local businesses while recognizing the farmers and producers behind every plate.
“Pennsylvania beef has a story that stretches from pasture to plate,” Kylie Lusk, director of consumer affairs for the Pennsylvania Beef Council, said in the release. “The PA Beef Trail gives consumers a fun, interactive way to explore that story while discovering restaurants and dishes they may not have tried before. We’re excited to see people use the trail throughout the year to support local restaurants and celebrate beef across the Commonwealth.”
The inaugural PA Beef Trail features 73 stops across Pennsylvania, showcasing a wide variety of dishes, from burgers and brisket to short rib, oxtail ragu and other creative beef-forward menu items. Organized by region, the trail makes it easy for consumers to find nearby stops or plan a road trip around Pennsylvania’s beef destinations.
The Pennsylvania Beef Council encourages consumers to explore the trail, visit participating restaurants, and share their experiences on social media.
To view the interactive map and explore the full PA Beef Trail, visit www.pabeef.org/pa-beef-trail.
President Trump is visiting the Lehigh Valley next week.
Mr. Trump will speak at Mack Trucks in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Tuesday at 2 p.m. Macungie is roughly 10 miles from Allentown.
Mack Trucks is a 1.7 million square-foot facility in Macungie that assembles heavy-duty trucks for North American and export markets, according to its website.
“Mack Trucks are a symbol of America’s manufacturing strength,” Rep. Dan Meuser said in a Facebook post about Mr. Trump’s upcoming visit to Pennsylvania. “Their Lehigh Valley operations are a pillar of the local economy, employing Pennsylvania workers and driving the nation’s trucking industry.”
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Mr. Trump visited Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, multiple times. He’s also visitied during his second term.
In December 2025, Mr. Trump said in a speech in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, that he was “crushing” inflation and called affordability concerns a “Democratic hoax.”
One week later, Vice President JD Vance aimed to calm the affordability concerns at a Uline facility in Alburtis, about 13 miles southwest of Allentown.
Tickets are available for Mr. Trump’s visit to Macungie next week on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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