ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Residents who live near the SPS Technologies factory in Jenkintown that went up in flames in February shared their frustrations and lingering concerns at a standing-room-only community meeting Monday night at the Jenkintown Library. Residents peppered police, elected and environmental officials with questions about the fire and the aftermath.
Some voiced concerns about the air quality. The fire broke out on Feb. 17 and continued smoldering for several days at the aerospace supplier factory. There were no injuries to residents or first responders.
Others asked about the safety of the soil and demanded that it be regularly tested.
“Is it safe to let your children and your pets and yourself go out into your yard, work your soil, plant your plants, play in the dirt?” one woman asked.
“Do you understand the concern here? Everyone’s asking for the same thing. Just get it done. Enough!” a man urged.
Another resident was not satisfied with borough officials and asked that they demand more from SPS.
“Residents who did not want to evacuate to Cheltenham and sleep on a cot should be reimbursed by SPS for the hotel costs, for the meals, for the cleaning, for the air purifiers!” she said.
There were no SPS representatives in attendance at Monday’s meeting. The company has been posting information on spsupdates.com about the testing that has continued in the weeks since the fire. The air and water quality remains safe, SPS said.
Debris from the century-plus-old building that flew and landed on or around nearby homes and businesses has tested negative for asbestos, the company said.