Leetsdale PA Fracking Chemical Fire

Fire at Leetsdale chemical plant leads to 70 homes being evacuated, five injured

Leetsdale, PA – WTAE, News 4, Pittsburgh, Nov. 17, 2015

A fire at the Leetsdale Industrial Park that reached three alarms and prompted a hazmat response and local evacuations Tuesday morning is now being reported as mostly under control.

Sky 4 video showed large flames and thick smoke coming from a building owned by Lubrizol Corporation, which said the fire started when employees were mixing chemicals used in fracking in a production tank.

“We were working with a chemical, an oxidizer, that had an adverse reaction,” said plant manager Ed Michalowski. “We don’t know the full details of it yet. We’re still doing some investigation.”

The fire just northwest of Pittsburgh was reported shortly after 10 a.m. Flames shot from the roof, and dark gray smoke could be seen for miles. The mobile unit from Allegheny County Emergency Services responded, along with a hazmat team.

Emergency Services Chief Alvin Henderson Jr. said people from approximately 72 nearby homes were sent to Quaker Valley High School’s gymnasium during the evacuation.

“We did an announcement, and we did a door by door knock to make sure that if there were any elderly residents there, that we got everybody out,” said Amos Cameron, Leetsdale’s emergency manager.

Henderson confirmed that two buildings caught fire from the initial chemical plant fire. Two chemicals were being released from the fire, ammonium persulfate and sodium chlorite, both of which Henderson said can cause inhalation problems.

One Lubrizol employee suffered chemical burns. Michalowski said he was near the initial reaction and was able to pull the fire alarm. Two other employees were taken to the hospital because of chest pains, likely caused by stress. All three were released from hospitals in the afternoon.

One firefighter was also treated but has been released as well. A Leetsdale councilman said a space in the borough office building is being made available to evacuees with pets.

People were asked to stay away from Route 65 in the Leetsdale area, Downs said via email. Buncher and Leetsdale business parks were being evacuated out of caution.

See the WTAE News 4 story and video here.