Residents Ordered To Evacuate Area Where Massive Warehouse Fire Burns

Updated: 5:05 p.m. Tuesday

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —Residents living near a four-alarm fire that destroyed a Jenkintown warehouse are being told to evacuate their homes, authorities said.

Just before 3 p.m., Abington Police sent out an evacuation notice due to changing conditions and concerns about air quality from the fire at SPS Technologies on Monday night.

The Abington Township Emergency Operations Center and Jenkintown Emergency Management are advising all residents and businesses in the locations below to voluntarily evacuate within the hour while conditions permit.

Bill Bole, Abington's Ward 13 commissioner, said the evacuation advisory applies to 250 homes.

An evacuation shelter has been set up at Cheltenham High School, 500 Rices Mill Rd, Wyncote.

The evacuation area includes:

• Stewart Avenue
• Runnymede Avenue
• Florence Ave between Runnymede Avenue and West Avenue
• Highland Ave between Hillside Avenue and West Avenue
• Rodman Ave between Walnut St and Runnymede Avenue
• Hillside Ave between Florence Avenue and Walnut Street
• Myrtle Ave between Runnymede Avenue and Rodman Avenue

All residents and businesses outside of the evacuation area but within one mile of the SPS Technologies site should continue to shelter in place. All residents are asked to avoid the area.

Jenkintown schools will be closed again on Wednesday due to the fire and evacuations, officials said.

Previous updates:

Multiple fire companies in Montgomery County battled a four-alarm fire early Tuesday morning after a warehouse exploded Monday night, authorities said. A shelter-in-place was in effect for nearby residents until the fire could be brought under control.

The fire broke out at 9:35 p.m. Monday at SPS Technologies, 301 Highland Ave. in Jenkintown. As of Tuesday morning, the fire was still burning, Abington Police said.

The fire flared up again just before noon on Tuesday, authorities said. Click here to see video of the fire.

"We are aware of continued activity at the SPS location and are asking all impacted residents and businesses within one mile to continue to shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice," Abington Police said in an update just before noon on Tuesday.

Sources told NBC10 that another explosion was heard there at about 10:20 a.m., NBC10 reported.

There was chemical waste at the facility, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Authorities said that air and water quality are being monitored but are fine at this time on Tuesday afternoon.

Sixty SPS employees who were working there at the time of the fire were able to evacuate without injury, said Bill Bole, Abington Township's commissioner of Ward 13, where the company is located. SPS employs more than 500 people.

The Abington School District, Jenkintown School District, Cheltenham Township School District, and all private and parochial schools are closed on Tuesday, officials said.

Penn State Abington and Arcadia University are also closed.

SEPTA transit is also impacted; service on the Doylestown, West Trenton, and Warminster regional rail lines is suspended due to the blaze.

SEPTA is supplementing service on the Chestnut Hill East and Fox Chase Lines to accommodate passengers who are using those lines as an alternative. Trains will run approximately every half hour.

Numerous roads and streets in Abington and Cheltenham townships are also closed.

U.S. Rep Madeleine Dean's Glenside office is also closed due to the Shelter in Place order. Local government offices were also closed Tuesday due to the fire.

"My Administration is in close contact with local authorities in Montgomery County as they continue battling a large fire at an industrial complex in Abington. Lori and I are grateful for the firefighters and first responders who rushed to the scene and ensured no lives were lost," said Gov. Josh Shapiro, who hails from Abington.

The governor said the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is on the ground coordinating with local hazmat teams, monitoring air quality, water runoff, and hazardous materials for any threat to the public.

Authorities said in a press conference Tuesday morning that nearly 70 fire companies from the Philadelphia region responded to the fire with more on the way to help contain the blaze.

Witnesses said they heard an explosion within the building; flames could be then seen inside the warehouse structure. The building was immediately evacuated, and all employees are accounted for, police said. There were no reported injuries.

The scene is still active, and all residents are asked to avoid the area at this time.

Smoke and particulates from the fire are filtering across the area. Polices said Hazmat crews are continually monitoring air quality in the area and advised that any business within a 1-mile radius of this location remain closed until further notice. Residents should stay inside.

The Abington Township Police Detective Division and the Township Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.

SPS Technologies is a manufacturer and global supplier of aerospace fasteners and precision components. According to the company's website, SPS Technologies offers components and materials for aerospace, transportation, power generation, racing, farm and construction equipment, and general industrial.