Following last night’s industrial explosion, the Abington Township Emergency Operations Center and Jenkintown Emergency Management are advising all residents and businesses in close proximity to the SPS Technologies building to “voluntarily evacuate within the hour while conditions permit due to changing conditions and concerns of air quality.”
The evacuation area is outlined in red below and includes the following streets:
- Stewart Avenue
- Runnymede Avenue
- Florence Avenue between Runnymede Avenue and West Avenue
- Highland Avenue between Hillside Ave and West Avenue
- Rodman Avenue between Walnut Street and Runnymede Avenue
- Hillside Avenue between Florence Avenue and Walnut Street
- Myrtle Avenue between Runnymede Avenue and Rodman Avenue
Officials said the Cheltenham High School auditorium in Wyncote will serve as an evacuation shelter.
From the press release:
Residents, who are able, are asked to self-evacuate by driving to the high school or a location outside of the one-mile radius surrounding SPS Technologies site, located at 301 Highland Ave Jenkintown Transportation will be provided to residents who are unable to self-evacuate. Please call 610-635-4300 if you need transportation to the evacuation center. Leashed or crated pets are allowed at the evacuation shelter. Emergency responders will be going door to door to assist residents in the impacted area.
When evacuating, please ensure you bring at least two days worth of any prescription medications or necessary medical devices and identification. Residents are encouraged to bring a change of clothes and any leashes, medications, and food for pets.
All residents and businesses outside of the evacuation area but within one mile of the SPS Technologies site, are asked to continue to shelter in place. All residents are asked to avoid the area.
A press conference for media only will be held at 4:00pm today at the Abington Township Municipal Building, officials said. Any change to the shelter-in-place will be communicated through the Ready Montco alert system to those within a one-mile radius.
The shelter in place map is below:
You can watch the Abington Township Police Department’s update below:
The following photos of the incident are courtesy of the Huntingdon Valley Fire Company:
News of the fire has been covered by major outlets near and far, including the L.A. Times.
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Screengrab: 6ABC