Gov. Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro converse with area firefighters on Feb. 22, 2025 at SPS Technologies in Abington Township. (Credit: Rachel Ravina – MediaNews Group)
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited the SPS Technologies site on Saturday, days after a massive fire ripped through the manufacturing plant, forcing school closures, mass transit disruption and evacuation of nearby homes amid air quality concerns.
Shapiro was joined by First Lady Lori Shapiro, along with fellow elected officials, as he toured the destruction caused by the Monday night fire that has been contained, but not yet fully extinguished. The Shapiros live with their children in Abington.
Shapiro acknowledged the efforts of the hundreds of volunteer firefighters from 68 companies who battled the massive blaze with no injuries or fatalities.
“Thank God every employee got out safe, and thank God for these firefighters and our first responders and our police. They’re the best of us,” Shapiro said. “They ran toward danger and they kept us safe. They saved the community. Not a single home in this area caught fire, notwithstanding those high winds.”
4-Alarm Blaze
The four-alarm fire broke out Monday night at the 625,000-square-foot fastener manufacturing plant located at 301 Highland Ave. Around 92 employees were inside at the time of the fire, according to SPS Communications Director David Dugan, and all were safely evacuated.
Shapiro on Saturday engaged with firefighters and heads of departments, shaking hands and offering his gratitude for their ongoing efforts. Firefighters told Shapiro the “guys didn’t hesitate” to confront the massive inferno inside the building. Others noted it’s been 110 hours and they’re “hoping to get the fire [fully] under control today.”
“Y’all are heroes,” Shapiro could be heard saying to the firefighters gathered near the rubble.
Value of Volunteers
Shapiro talked about the collaboration of government and first responder agencies at the local, state and federal level, including volunteer fire departments like the Weldon Fire Company.
“I’ve grown up here with these fire departments. They are the best of the best. I hope folks understand,” said Shapiro, who grew up in Abington Township. “They volunteer their time to do this because they care so deeply about this community.”
Weldon Fire Chief Keith Maslin noted the trials faced by firefighters over the past week as they worked to quell existing hotspots.
“It’s been very rough. The weather, the conditions, no sleep, missing our families. It’s just been rough, but the end result is what we go for. No one got killed, no one got hurt, that is unbelievable with this kind of damage,” Maslin told MediaNews Group.
Community Support
The adjacent Highland Restaurant and Bar in Glenside served as a command post for first responders in the fire’s early hours, said Jenkintown Police Chief Tom Scott. Shapiro acknowledged the restaurant’s help and stressed the importance of the community lending a hand during times of tragedy.
“They could have ran away. Instead, they ran here, turned on their ovens, turned on their skillets, started cooking for folks here, even though their buildings were in a position of vulnerability,” Shapiro said, referring to restaurant owner Dan Katz. “You saw the best of us here.
“You saw people helping their neighbors, and I must say, I was on the ground in Northeast Philly two weeks ago after that horrific aviation accident. I’ve been to, unfortunately, too many disaster sites across Pennsylvania, [the] thing that always inspires me are first responders and neighbors helping neighbors, and that’s exactly what we saw here in Abington,” he continued.
Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy also underscored the importance of collaboration and of the role volunteer firefighters play in the community.
“… It’s the ultimate team sport: police, fire, EMS, state, local and federal resources all coming to the area, and we had lines of people getting rest and others jumping in to fight the fire,” Molloy told MediaNews Group. “It is really encouraging to sit back as a chief of police, as a paid employee, really inspired by the amount of selflessness and heroism by our volunteer firefighters."
Air Quality
Air quality concerns from the major public safety incident closed schools and suspended regional rail transit on Tuesday. Shelter-in-place and evacuation orders for the surrounding neighborhood were lifted on Wednesday and SEPTA’s lines resumed on Wednesday.
The Abington and Cheltenham school districts have since resumed operations, while Jenkintown School District will continue offering virtual learning options for students and will resume full in-person operations next Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the district’s website.
“I can report that the Department of Environmental Protection has been working to test both the drinking water and the air quality for the neighbors. We have seen no concerning results in either the drinking water or the air quality,” Shapiro said, noting that SPS Technologies will continue monitoring efforts with “oversight” from the state agency.
Shapiro sought to assure area residents that “the water when they turn on the tap is safe to drink, and that their air is safe to breathe.”
State Sen. Art Haywood acknowledged hearing similar concerns from his constituents throughout the state’s 4th Legislative District, which includes the area surrounding SPS Technologies.
“It created a lot of fear among neighbors, particularly regarding air quality and water quality,” Haywood said.
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