A fire, explosions reported at SPS Technologies in Abington Township Photo by James Short.
Officials have determined that the massive February fire at SPS Technologies in Abington Township was accidental in nature, according to a report.
The announcement came recently after an extensive investigation by the Abington Township Fire Marshal’s Office.
The blaze, which began on Feb. 17, quickly escalated to more than four alarms, prompting evacuation orders and a shelter-in-place directive for nearby residents. Fire crews from multiple surrounding counties, including Bucks, Delaware, Chester, and Lehigh, responded to assist. The fire was not declared fully extinguished until Feb. 22, after nearly 114 hours of continuous firefighting efforts.
Investigators traced the origin of the fire to the compressed air system infrastructure inside the Jenkintown manufacturing facility. While the system was identified as the source area, officials were unable to determine the exact component failure that triggered the series of fires and explosions.
“When multiple hypotheses cannot be eliminated, a fire cause is to be deemed undetermined,” the Fire Marshal’s Office stated. “Accordingly, due to numerous potential hypotheses as to what failed within the compressed air system infrastructure remaining, the fire cause has been deemed Undetermined.”
Despite this uncertainty, the investigation concluded that the fire was accidental, consistent with the classification standards of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Authorities confirmed there is no evidence of intentional ignition, negligence, or malicious conduct on the part of SPS Technologies.
The February blaze stands as one of the most challenging in recent memory for Abington Township, underscoring both the risks posed by industrial operations and the dedication of the regional fire service community.
