Date: August 3, 2022
Location: South Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania (USA)
Address: 220 Old West Penn Avenue, 19551
Type: Potential Dust Explosion
Fuel: Metal Dust
Industry: Alloy Production (Metal Working)
Equipment: Unknown
Company: Reading Alloys
Database Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No Injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to its website, Reading Alloys is an alloy manufacturing company in South Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1953 and designs, develops, and produces master alloys, thermal barrier coatings, and titanium powders. In the aerospace and aviation industry, the business provides high-quality titanium and super alloy mill products. The company was acquired by Kymera International in March 2020.
Incident Description:
On August 2, 2022, Berks Weekly reported an explosion at an alloy manufacturer in South Heidelberg Township, Pennsylvania.
At around 1:40pm, over 100 firefighters were called to the scene and discovered smoke and fire inside the processing plant. According to initial reports, several people were injured. Later, the facility’s General Manager confirmed there were no injuries.
As the material inside the facility was highly reactive with water, firefighters had difficulty controlling the fire. As crews dealt with the reactive material inside, parts of the building structure also caught fire. Firefighters used a light mist of water throughout the afternoon to prevent the fire from spreading. Parts of the building collapsed directly from the explosion and came down into the first floor.
After several hours, the fire was placed under control at 5:30pm, with only hotspots being checked. The Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
Sources:
Berks Weekly
