By Michael Tanenbaum

Copyright phillyvoice

Nine months after a massive fire destroyed the SPS Technologies manufacturing plant in Abington Township, the company announced that it will present a plan later this month to construct a new aerospace parts facility at the same site.

At a community meeting on Sept. 25, SPS officials will unveil renderings and details about the planned factory on Highland Avenue. The company said the facility will retain local jobs and create new employment opportunities. SPS had about 475 workers at the time of the fire, but around 250 employees were laid off in March and the remnants of the complex were demolished during the ensuing months.

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SPS makes fasteners and other metal components for the aerospace, automotive and agricultural sectors, among other industries.

The Feb. 17 fire started after an explosion at the century-old facility. The four-alarm blaze sent black smoke into the air that night, prompting an evacuation of the 500,000-square-foot factory. About 60 workers who were inside the building escaped safely, and neighbors nearby the plant said they saw embers raining down onto their roofs and into their yards. No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The next morning, after a second explosion occurred in a different section of the facility, Abington officials issued a shelter-in-place order for all residents within a 1-mile radius. Schools were closed for two days and a disaster emergency was declared with a voluntary evacuation notice for residents in the area. Nearly 70 fire companies from the region responded to the fire, which took six days to fully extinguish.

The cause of the fire still remains under investigation. At the time, officials said the sprinkler system at SPS was out of order. The company was permitted to continue operating because it had been in compliance with fire safety regulations.

In the days and weeks after the blaze, state and federal officials tested air and water runoff samples for signs of contamination from chemicals inside the factory. Officials determined drinking water supplies were not at risk and air quality monitors did not detect chemicals of concern.

Two class action lawsuits have been filed against SPS Technologies on behalf of individuals and businesses impacted by the fire. One of the suits alleges SPS failed to implement fire prevention and protocols for safe storage of hazardous materials.

SPS officials have not said how the construction of a new factory would be funded or when the company aims to complete a new facility. After the fire, U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) said she would seek federal support for the factory to be rebuilt in Abington. SPS is owned by Precision Castparts Corp., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, and has received numerous federal contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The community meeting about the new factory will be held Thursday, Sept. 25, from 7-9 p.m. at the Abington Middle School Little Theater.